


Breaking Character

by VividDayDreamer



Series: Her Story [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Anger Management, Angst, Blood and Violence, Death and Killing, Friendship and Betrayal, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Past Pain, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Star Wars: Rebels, Rage, Sabine Becomes A Bounty Hunter, Sabine's Armor, Sabine's past, Street Fights, Transformation, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-07-28 23:56:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 39,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16252412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VividDayDreamer/pseuds/VividDayDreamer
Summary: Sabine has taken much to heart, reflecting much on her past.  Themes of pain, anger and distrust play over and over again as it starts to overcome her, becoming part of her identity, and making life changing decisions based on them.  Being a warrior, a soldier, a survivor, was always in her blood, but she never realized what she was capable of doing until now; until she became a bounty hunter.





	1. The Decision - Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a while, but ready to move on with this series. This one's going to be a bit more violent than the others. You've been warned.
> 
> Enjoy, and let me know what you think!  
> 

It took well over a week before Kya was able to force Sabine out from her room. She looked like she had been through hell.

"Alright child, enough is enough," she said with a more concerned, than angered tone. 

Kya felt for Sabine, she truly hated to see her slip down that path, but heartbreak was part of life, it was part of growing up, and now she needed to move on.

It took a few days of amazing home-cooked meals, tasty desserts and new colorful art supplies before Sabine started to become "normal" again. Kya was utterly persuasive, providing as many distractions as she could, to remind the girl that there is more to life.

It wasn't until the Empire reared its ugly head back into their lives. A reminder that they were still there. A reminder that they were still a threat.

In the month that the Imperials had first arrived on Kalkovak, much had changed. It wasn't just the amount of troopers and officers that loomed the city streets. It started out as subtle things, like news channels being limited and playing filtered music; the ones that were allowed to be played were the ones cleared by the Empire. Then, there was the overwhelming amount of buildings that were torn down, with new ones being rebuilt in its place. Then, the taxes increased. Then, the cost of everyday supplies increased. Then, the discrimination flowed through. Species deemed "unruly or unnecessary" were being evicted from their homes, pushed into the streets, and if they weren't lucky and were found loitering around noticeable areas, they were thrown in prison, or shipped out to force knew where. Luckily, Kya and Sabine weren't on their checklist. For now.

The extra money Sabine had earned at the hangar was slowly dwindling. It helped to buy more time after the second round of tax increases, but they may not last the next. After hearing this from Kya, Sabine realized she had to step up once again. Of course, this wasn't Kya's wish, but Sabine was persistent and wanted to make sure that the people she cared for wouldn't get hurt. Not again, and not on her watch.

Her transformation started after she had dyed her hair. She changed her bluish, purplish color to a deep crimson red, an homage to the girl she first saw in that beautiful red dress, the girl she had hurt; the one she had lost. She knew that it would be a while before she loved anyone again; her wounds were still fresh. 

She stared into the mirror, eying her new hair. She stared at the golden charm that laid against her white tank top. Sabine had forged it into a pendant so that it was a reminder and wore it around her neck. _Everything_ came back to _her_.

"I'm sorry princess. For everything." she muttered once more under her breath as she touched the mirror.

  
Sabine recalled at one point, during her time at the hangar, that she overheard a few pilots talking about their fear of bounty hunters. These tenacious "thugs", they called them, were something they worried about constantly.

  


_"Bajor, you survived! Congratulations!," the one pilot said, reaching out his arm to shake the other's._

_"Barely. My ship sustained heavy damage, so I had to bring her in."_

_"Pirates or bounty hunters?"_

_"Hah, there's a difference?" Both men laughed._

_"Pirates when the ship was in flight, bounty hunters when we were loading."_

_"Gods, how did you ever survive?"_

_"My employer hired a bunch of his own guns to protect the merchandise. We had guards on the site, and fighter pilots escorting us."_

_"Your merchandise must've been one hell of a thing to transport."_

_"Hell if I know. They wouldn't tell me. All they said was to transport the goods and I get paid full in credits. No argument here."_

_"You're lucky the bounty hunters that came after you weren't that good it seemed," he said jokingly._

_"One actually held his blaster to my head and forced me to open up the bay doors to unload the cargo."_

_"And you survived?!"_

_"Thank the gods yes. Another bounty hunter, Mandalorian I believe, made a sniper shot to the thug's head, dropping him in an instant."_

_"Lucky shot?"_

_"Hah, I thought so at first. After I thanked him for his help, he just said that I should quickly get loaded before more arrived. His tone wouldn't say otherwise. Luckily, he stayed on board with us the whole time as backup, in case any thugs got lucky and boarded the ship."_

_"Lucky man."_

_"You bet. I did find out more about bounty hunters though. Seems like there's a lot of them that hate each other. Supposedly some work with a conscience, and others don't."_

_"Ahahaha, honor among thieves?"_

_"Apparently. I mean, they all earn from their bounties, so they're not exactly good guys, but, some, like the guy that was working with me, only took on jobs that were, and I quote, 'honorable'."_

_"I don't even understand what that means. I feel like any job offered to a bounty hunger isn't 'honorable'."_

_"Normally, I'd agree with you, but this guy saved my hide. I can accept that."_

_"Fair truth. Did he tell you how much he was getting paid?"_

_"Hah, no. I tried. The only thing he told me was that he wouldn't have to work again for a very long time."_

_"Sometimes I wish I had the skills to do jobs like that. Imagine? Not having to work long hours like us?"_

_"Yea, but with pudge bellies like what we have here, we'd be dead before we pulled out a blaster." Both men laughed once more._

  


The thought hadn't left Sabine's mind. Too many words lined up for her: easy money, choice of jobs, Mandalorian, warrior skills. She had all that. Granted, she didn't know how to get started, but that didn't stop her before.

"It's amazing what you can find on the holonet," she said to herself.

She laid on her stomach, on her bed, thumbing through pages on the holonet that talked about bounty hunters. She learned as much as she could. Eventually, she even hacked into the deep side of the net, opening up more information about the underworld than she had known.

For the next two weeks, Sabine continued to study the life of a bounty hunter. She skimmed through the job board listings, she read online, and she trained out in the sun, in the outskirts of the city. Eventually, she felt ready.

Sabine didn't mention anything to Kya of course, and the older woman was so happy to see Sabine out of bed, that she gave her the room to do as she pleased.

* * *

  


"Okay, I think this one should do," she said, as she eyed one of the job listings.

It was a small and fairly easy job. The amount of pay was reflected in the difficulty of task. Usually, majority of bounty hunters go for the big game, making their time worth the effort, leaving a lot of these smaller jobs and tasks, out for amateurs.

The job involved planting a tracking device on a freighter ship. It sounded all too easy.

She accepted the job and the employer immediately sent out the details.

_"You are to meet an associate of mine, who will provide you with the tracking device. You need to attach it inside a freighter ship that is currently docked at the Galactic Space Hangar."_

"Oh fun. Breaking into my last place of employment," she said as she rolled her eyes.

_"The vessel is located in hangar B041. It is a Corellian ship. You MUST place the tracker somewhere inconspicuous. There may be a decent number of heavily armed guards. You have been warned."_

_"Upon completion, await verification. Once verification is complete, credits will be transferred to the provided account."_

Sabine had already created an anonymous bank account; it was fairly easy given her hacking knowledge and help from the holonet. All that was left to donow, was complete the job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, yes, the "plant a tracker" doesn't really define a bounty hunter type job, but it was a "dip your toe into illicit waters" type of gig. Had to start somewhere ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
> Also for the record, in this work, I'm not sure how much is Canon-compliant. Oh well.


	2. The Decision - Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I hope to have a better handle at posting more frequently :) 
> 
> Enjoy!

On the day of the job, the first task was to meet-up to acquire the tracking device. She was informed that it would be done in plain sight, in public, where it was less conspicuous.

Sabine found herself waiting in the local marketplace, standing between two fruit stands; the two that were earmarked as the targeted meeting place. She stood in the hot glaring sun, wearing her Mandalorian gear.

She had decided early on, that if she was to partake in this new adventure, she knew she would only do so wearing her gear. For so long, she had worn it almost every day, all the time. It was like second skin. Wearing it gave her comfort. It reminded her of her strength, and what she was capable of doing. It reminded her that she was Mandalorian, through and through, regardless of what her people now thought of her. The pride she instantly felt, gave her courage.

"Kriff it's so hot.."

She patiently waited, looking around her surroundings for the one she was supposed to meet. _"They'll find you,"_ the message said.

Sabine took this opportunity to inspect her armor. She hadn't worn it since Mandalore. The dark silver shell still decorated with the mustard yellow designs worn by Clan Wren. Pride. Her armor gave her that, the history she carried with her, gave her strength. What it meant to be a Mando'ad, she carried in her heart. The outer shell however, the ones that aligned her with those who had betrayed her, only angered her. Her own family...

"This no longer represents the real me," she sighed. "I'll have to change this up soon."

Not a moment later, and elderly woman approached her.

"My dear, excuse me, but do you happen to have the time?"

"Oh, yes, of course." She looked at her watch. "It's a little after three in the afternoon."

"I'm sorry, my hearing is a bit off. What is the standard time?"

Sabine immediately picked up on her words. 

" _Standard time_. No one, especially the locals, asked for time structured in that manner. This has got to be my contact," she thought to herself.

She bent down closer to the woman and offered her a hand, before leaning into her ear.

"It's a little past fifteen hundred."

The woman reacted and held the young Mandalorian's hands, slipping a small, round, metallic disk in them.

"Thank you, young one. Have a pleasant afternoon."

"You too."

Sabine cupped the disk in her hand, walking away nonchalantly and headed to a deserted area on top of one of the building's rooftops.

"Task one complete."

Her heart raced with excitement as she completed the first phase and anxiously waited to complete the next.

* * *

  
The next step was to place the tracker in the vessel. Sabine was a bit confident that she could finish the task in one day. In doing her homework, and knowing the ins and outs of the CCIC and the Galactic Space Hangar, she felt bold.

_"The ship will be docked there for the next three days. You have at most this much time to complete the task."_

Sabine felt that this part shouldn't be too bad. Instead of dressing in her typical Mandalorian attire, she felt comfortable dressing in normal apparel, but carried her blasters with her, just in case.

As soon as she entered the hangar, nostalgia got the best of her. The looming ships, the smell of grease and paint, the hums and buzzes of electrical equipment, were all subtle reminders of her past. For a while, it was a place that she belonged, and where her skills were useful.

She went down to the lockers, stealing an unclaimed jumpsuit.

"I think this even used to be my old suit," she said, as she zipped it up, fitting her as she remembered.

She grabbed a face shield from the equipment room, a tool belt, and a set of tools. She walked down the corridor back into the hangar, but before she entered the main space, she stopped and looked over her right shoulder.

"She was right there...," she thought to herself. 

Anxiety started to creep back, making her chest tighten.

"No. I can't do this. Not right now."

She quickly focused back at her task, and made it towards hangar B041, as instructed.

Sabine knew the rotation of the technicians and mechanics. Lunch break was normal around thirteen hundred, so majority of them would be gone. She grabbed her datapad which displayed the technicians assigned to the vessel, and the work that needed to be completed.

"Dox and Meccy, huh. Convenient."

Dox and Meccy were a set of Amarans who were troublesome and generally lazy. Sabine had worked with them a few times before, disgusted at the way they handled technology. Their sloppy work usually had to be redone by someone else. She wondered why in the galaxy Jawgs would hire them, and why they still worked there. There must've been more to it than she was privy to.

Knowing that the two may have ducked out for an early liquid lunch down at Chibby's, she knew that it would be the best time to get to the ship without being noticed by any of her former colleagues.

Heading straight for the ship's entryway, there were four armed reptilian guards, each one flanking a different quadrant of the ship. The two closest to Sabine eyed her as she approached the vessel. One, intercepted her.

"You! Where is the rest!" The Barabel warrior yelled as he grabbed Sabine by the collar of her jumpsuit.

"I'm sorry sir, I don't understand," she said calmly.

"Our captain wanted this ship in orbit days ago! Yet the only worker I see is you, lousy child! Are we not being taken seriously? If not, there will be consequences!"

"Sir, I'm sorry sir. I was just now assigned to this vessel to assist the other mechanics."

"Oh, and where are these so called, other mechanics?"

"I'm sorry sir. I only work here. I don't keep track of everyone. I just do as I'm told."

"Bah!" he growled, as he tossed Sabine towards the ship. "Then fix our damn ship!"

"Yes sir, right away sir!"

Sabine ran quickly into the ship.

"Kriff, that was intense. Dox and Meccy have it coming to them. I almost feel bad for them."

She knew the ship's design well ahead of time, and knew exactly where to plant the tracker. She crawled into the underbelly of the ship, navigating through until she found the ship's communications panel. She knew that these systems rarely ever get damaged, especially the section she was working in — radio. Radio systems were aboard almost every ship, as a last resort communications option. It was primitive at best and only allowed for communication within a few meters around. Honestly, they weren't really that helpful.

Sabine dug through the wires and sectioned off components until she found where it needed to be. She took out the small disc from her pocket and activated it. The red light blinked several times, sending out its initial signals. She then attached it deep into the component's housing, behind massive amounts of wires.

"There, that should do it."

She replaced everything as she found it, then gathered her belongings and headed off the ship. As expected, the guards were still there.

"Um. Excuse me sir?"

"What?! What is it you lazy piece of banta fodder?!"

"I....I need to get some extra parts. I don't have it in my tool kit."

"Aggghh! This place is full of idiots! Go! Go get those parts and be back quickly!"

"Yes sir, sorry sir."

Sabine rushed out as quickly as she could. She made her way back towards the lockers and returned everything she had borrowed.

Dressed back in her normal attire, she took a deep breath, then wrapped her dark scarf around her head. She went down the same corridor once more, and again, the memory of Pristella jumped back. 

"No..." she thought to herself.

She moved quicker out of the hangar. Her emotions were betraying her and it caused her more worry than actually being caught. Before she made it out, she heard the sounds of the angered Barabel warrior once more. His voice carried through the hangar.

"You lazy Amarans! I will beat you until you finish this job!"

Part of it made Sabine giggle. "About time someone lit some fire under their butts."

In a short time, Sabine made it to the exit. The adrenaline rushed through her as she felt accomplished in her task.

"This. This is the thrill I miss," she said like a true Mandalorian.

As she walked down the hangar roadway, she suddenly stopped at the sight of a shuttle that had come to a halt in front of the hangar. Suddenly, more flashes of Pristella crept into her mind. Their last encounter. She remembered the girl's sadness, their last kiss, and the clasp she was given. Her eyes watered at the thought, and her hand instantly gripped the golden pendant that laid on her chest.

"I'm sorry Pristella. I'm so sorry," she whispered in vain, before running off.

* * *

  
Sabine had rushed to an abandoned warehouse, far into the outskirts of the city. She had cased this place during her research and found that there were no permanent inhabitants. Occasionally, a few homeless sentients came through. No doubt the doing of the Empire's eviction, but no one harmful. She thought it would be safe there as her meeting point for dealing with anything as part of her newly acquired occupation.

She sat on top of an empty and dusty desk, surrounded by broken down crates. She pulled out her datapad and sent her encrypted message back to her employer.

_"Green light activated."_

That was the phrase she had to use. In no short amount of time, she received a message back.

_"Await confirmation."_

She wasn't sure how long confirmation needed to be, but she was willing to wait. The important part was that she completed her first bounty. After about an hour, she got a message back.

_"Initial confirmation complete. Half of the credits will be paid out. Remainder will be sent once ship has exited orbit."_

"Kriff. I have to wait that long?" 

Sabine finished the task ahead of schedule. The ship was still scheduled to stay at the dock for another two days, and without any other choice, she agreed.

_"Understood."_

"Well, I guess that's that. I should probably skim through to see what else I can work on in the meantime."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:  
>  _Mando'ad_ \- Mandalorian


	3. Ghosts of the Past - Part I

It's been four months since she's called Kalkovak her home. It's been two months since her encounter with Pristella; two months of bounty hunting. Time has flown by.

Sabine's interest in bounty hunting grew stronger and stronger with each completed job. She grew more confident, and utilized every skill she knew: languages, weaponry, splicing, everything. She finally started to feel like she's found what she was meant to do. It was no wonder that Mandalorians who grew separate from their clans, were drawn to the life of a bounty hunter.

In about the two months she took up this occupation, she had nearly completed all the minor jobs she felt comfortable with on Kalkovak. She had amassed a decent number of credits, more than she's ever earned total in the month long job she had at the CCIC. 

However, this job changed her. 

As a beginner, she wasn't picky at the jobs she had available. Her only requirements were that it was within her comfort zone and skill-set. In doing so, she worked with a lot of illicit beings, majority of them had no morals, no code, no honor. Nothing that rang true to her heritage. She refused to be like them though. She remembered the words of the pilots who gave her the idea of becoming a bounty hunter. Some had a conscience. Some did not. She wanted to be the former. However, for now, she had to do what she needed, in order to build her repertoire.

In dealing with her associates, her employers, or targets, she needed to emit a sense of ruthlessness and build a harder core. She needed to be taken seriously, so these traits came with the job. She had to ignore certain cries for help and pleas for mercy. She had to turn a blind eye when those she worked with committed evil deeds. She saw things she wished she could unsee, and heard things she wished she could unhear. It tainted her heart, causing her to grow cold and to some degree, had become unphased by the pain of others.

She wasn't a complete monster though. She was still a beginner in the field. None of the jobs involved hideous acts, murders, or the like. They were simply thuggish acts, beating up traitors, stealing from rightful owners, and committing minor violent acts similar to those. But Sabine knew that in this life, this was just the top of the surface.

Sabine had once more changed her hair color. This time, it was mostly a bright silver, with streaks of black hair that added color to her bangs. Since her leave from the CCIC, Sabine had let her hair grow back out, allowing her to regain her feminine, but cropped, hairstyle.

Kya noticed Sabine change, and not just her hair color. She noticed their financial burdens become less stressful. She noticed how she disappeared for days at a time, carrying a bag that either had extra clothes, or her Mandalorian armor. She knew something was up.

"Sabine dear?"

"Yes, Kya?"

"Do you have some time to talk?

"Um...maybe tonight? I have to head out actua..."

Kya cut her off. "Child, we need to talk. Sit."

Sabine let out a frustrated sigh and did as she was told. She knew she had to prepare her items for the next job she had picked up, so talking to Kya would only set her back.

"Sabine, what's going on?

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sabine did not dare to look into Kya's direction. She clearly knew what topic they were about to speak of.

"You know what I'm asking about. You run off for days and hours at a time without telling me anything. You trudge along with your armor, and surprisingly, you tell me that we no longer have to worry about money. What are you up to?"

Sabine knew this talk would come up. She knew that Kya wouldn't understand, and would be upset with her and her involvement with dangerous individuals.

"It's nothing. Look, we don't have to worry about money anymore. That should be enough."

"It's not enough!" Kya's voice grew firm. It hinted at anger, something Sabine wasn't used to hearing from the older woman. She immediately grew timid and angry. For some reason, it reminded her of her birth mother. How she would yell those same words when Sabine failed to do what was asked.

"What do you want from me?!" she shouted back.

Kya sat there in shock of the girl's tone.

Sabine realized she had lost control. She looked into Kya's worried and frightened eyes, then sat back down.

"I....I'm sorry Kya. I didn't mean to..."

"Child, what is happening to you? You have me worried sick. Please talk to me."

"Kya, you wouldn't understand."

"Try me dear."

With a heavy sigh, Sabine complied, and explained her new found interest.

"So you're a bounty hunter now?" she said with disappointment in her voice.

"Yes."

"Why Sabine, why?"

Her tone, her plea, reminded her of Pristella's, that last encounter in the shuttle. She hadn't thought about her in a month. The thought of the girl sickened Sabine. She thought she had buried those emotions, yet here she sat, still clearly affected by her. These memories only fueled her frustration further.

"Because I can!" she said angrily, her fists slammed onto the table, and her head looked down, as she stared at her clenched fists. Anger burned in her eyes.

"This isn't the girl I know," the woman said, disappointed and concerned; shaking her head.

"Yea, well everyone thinks they know me, but they don't," she said calmer, but anger still burned inside. 

This conversation was sounding more and more like the one she had with Pristella; the questioning, the assumptions. It even sounded like the arguments she had with her birth mother.

Kya looked onto her girl as if a stranger now sat there. Something was changing her girl. She wanted to find out what it was. She wanted it to stop.

"Sabine!" she said in frustration. "Young lady, you will tell me what is going on, right now! Why are you acting like this?"

Kya knew better than to snap back at Sabine. She knew the girl didn't handle threats well, but her feelings caught the best of her, and as expected, Sabine didn't react as she had hoped.

"Nothing is going on! I knew you wouldn't understand!" She quickly stood up from her seat, grabbed her bag and left the house.

* * *

She wandered through town, collecting the supplies she needed, hoping it would distract her from the argument she had with Kya, but it didn't help. Her emotions rooted deep. It wasn't Kya's fault. She wasn't even really angry at her. She knew the woman cared. The problem was that all the pain of her past started to merge together. It built on top of each other, causing her to explode.

In a moment of light, she realized that there was something she could do to calm down, while she waited for the day to end. She made her way back to the warehouse.

The young Mandalorian solidified in making the warehouse her base of operations. The highest floor was where she made camp. The rickety staircase and non-functioning lifts made that area the most isolated and unoccupied. Truth be told, there were others that wondered there by accident from time to time, but since Sabine was generally in her armor, they knew better than to cross a Mandalorian, regardless of size or age. That alone kept a lot of visitors from appearing, since they weren't dangerous. If it was the other type of company though, like the ones she was involved with, that may have been another story.

She entered the abandoned floor. In the middle of the day, you could see the remnants of what it used to be. It was clearly an office of some sort. There were desks, filing cabinets, storage crates, papers and things of that kind. The walls were old, duracrete walls, most likely held up by durasteel beams. At night, it was pitch black, and the only source of light were a few lanterns that she had acquired. The place wasn't much, but it became her second home.

"I've got time to kill. I usually can calm down if I paint something. Maybe that'll help," she said, hopeful. 

She faced one of the blank walls. Its dark gray color was decorated with varying cracks, and deep gauges. She stared at it, hoping to find inspiration. She's never painted anything of that scale before, and the large bland wall was overwhelming. 

"What was the last thing I was inspired by," she thought.

Her bounty hunting tasks kept her busy. She clearly didn't find any inspiration working with those thugs. She thought back even further, then remembered. The oasis. She remembered its beauty, the hidden paradise amongst the endless desert. But, as quickly as the scenery filled her mind, so did Pristella's face.

"KRIFF! Why can't I move on yet!!" She yelled and kicked a few empty crates. She punched the desk, then threw a chair against the wall.

"Why does this still bother me so much...," she said as she sat down on the ground, defeated by her emotions.

Time had healed Sabine, but not fully. It would take more time to get over her first love. She knew it, but hated it. It was a weakness, and she hated having a weakness. The thing she did know, was that the thought of the girl no longer saddened her the way it used to. It wasn't the crippling heartache that she felt. Now, it had become a source of frustration. Pain she longed to bury. Every time anything reminded her of Pristella, anger rose in her chest.

She realized in that moment that art will not soothe her temper this time. She needed something else.

* * *

Sabine left for the desert, as far away as she felt comfortable. She had stolen a speeder and was on her way somewhere. Eventually, she came across a small rocky canyon.

Kalkovak was known for endless deserts, but, it seems that if you travel further out from the city, you do find other places, like the oasis, or rocky canyons; occasionally, a cave or two. It was a nice change.

She dismounted from her vehicle and stood on top of one of the large boulders that sat in front of her. She took some time and took deep breaths. The smell of sun and sand reminded her of the isolation; the wind coursed through her short, cropped, silver hair; the sun beamed down on her face. For a moment, she found peace.

She sat down, cross-legged on the boulder and took off her backpack. She pulled out a bottle of Jogan juice. 

"Kya..."

Jogan juice had become a staple in Sabine's life. It was a simple thing that reminded her of Kya, and of Kalkovak, her new home.

"She's probably really upset and worried."

Tears started to well up in her eyes.

"I always hurt the people I love," she shouted in frustration.

Anger once again took hold of her. She put down her bottle, and her bag, then pulled out both her blasters. She fired them at everything she saw. She blasted the canyon walls, she blasted the boulders, she blasted everything that stood up at her. At one point, she had fired so many shots at a single targeted wall, that eventually the large side of the canyon shook. A huge piece of it had dislodged from its surface, and avalanched down below; she didn't care. It was satisfying to see the destruction caused by her own doing. But it wasn't enough.

The sun burned down on her; her sweat ran down her face, dust clung to her moist skin, and her chest was warm. She looked down and saw that the clasp she wore conducted the heat onto her skin. She held it in her hand, growing angry once more. The girl started picking up stones, ones she could easily pick up in her hand, then started throwing them at different structures. She wished she had a blade or something, some instrument to slice down the larger boulders that she couldn't destroy.

In her last ditch effort to expel her frustration, she grabbed the largest rock she could find. One that required her to lift it with both hands. She put all her strength as she attempted to carry it, eager to hurl it at some unknown target. She fought with it, cursed it, kicked it, anything to budge it. Eventually, she lost all her willpower and strength. She plopped down on the dirt, looked at her surroundings and the additional chaos she brought to it.

She let down a heavy sigh.

* * *

She returned home late in the evening, filled with angst, remembering the condition of the home as she had left it. Sabine had hoped that at this hour, Kya had gone to bed and she wouldn't have to face her until the next day. Luckily, she was right.

She took care of what she needed to: Take a shower and get cleaned up, eat, rest.

"I wonder if she's awake..." Half of her wanted to apologize to Kya for everything. The other half of her wanted to cower away from the woman. 

As she laid in her bed, she knew that Kya was deeply hurt and that she was giving Sabine space. There was no note anywhere. Not on the fridge, not on the table, not on her bed. It was something she used to always do if she didn't get to see her. Now, all there was, was distance between them both.


	4. Ghosts of the Past - Part II

The next morning, Sabine awoke with knots in her stomach. She hadn't slept much that night, waking up multiple times with flashes of her past, each causing her to thrash, sweat and wake in panic and distress. Her dreams combined the worst of her memories. 

She laid in bed, with the crook of her arm laying over her head, and her fist clenched tightly. Her mind was running in a million directions, processing all the horrible visions she had dreamt. She tried to take deep breaths, while her chest felt tense and her heart raced. Beads of sweat ran down her face. She kept her eyes shut, shielding them against the stinging rays of the sun, while also holding back the tears that inevitably escaped.

She recalled having visions of her life back on Mandalore.

She remembered the harsh training at the academy...

At some point, memories of being witness to the extreme torture of those who crossed the Empire, formed one portion of dream. She remembered their faces and their screams..and then the aftermath that followed. Cadets had to typically help wrap up these sessions, which included handling of the prisoners after questioning. On more than one occasion, she was covered in their blood. 

She remembered being forced into harsh training scenarios, some of which nearly killed her, and still haunt her to this day. Facing them was a challenge. And even though she made it out alive, in those same sessions, she saw fellow cadets die.

Squinting her eyes harder, and pounding her fist on the bed, she opened her eyes, trying to fixate them on something in the room, something concrete to remind her that she was no longer living that nightmare, and that she was...safe. She sat up in her bed and saw her armor strewn upon a wooden chair in her room and breathed a sigh of relief. Had she still been in danger, she knew there was no way that she would have slept without it on. 

Suddenly, she heard screams from outside her window. The voice was that of a woman, crying out in pleas. Already on high alert, she jumped out of bed and made her way to the edge of the window. She remained hidden from view, while trying to find out the source of the screams. She saw Imperial troopers holding back a distressed woman, while others dragged an elderly man and teenage boy away. The woman yelled, attempting to break free of their hold, as she kicked and fought with as much as she could manage. One trooper, fed up with the insubordinance, attempted to silence her by backhanding her across the face. The teenage boy saw what had happened, and immediately ran towards the trooper, screaming and cussing at him, then landing a few punches along the way. Voices screamed out, lasers fired, shouts continued, and once again, Sabine was immediately transported back to her past, reliving the nightmares she had endured.

This time, she remembered her mother. In her dream, she remembered an encounter with her. An argument that had escalated, brought about enraged voices that towered over one another, until she too was struck on the face by the Countess. She remembered the pain across her cheek, as if it actually happened. She recalled looking down from the shock of her own mother striking her. She touched her lips as she tasted the blood in her mouth. Looking back up, she saw the pointed edge of a sword staring straight at her. Refocusing, she saw the fire burning in her mother's eyes as she cursed Sabine for being an insubordinate, stubborn child. The woman continued to berate her, exclaiming how she was an embarrassment to Clan Wren, a waste of a soldier, and one not worthy of calling herself a Mandalorian. She eventually ended her tirade, claiming that even she was ashamed for birthing such a disgrace.

As she remembered the realistic encounter, tears once more formed in her eyes. She was unable to hold them back. Shutting her eyes tightly, she shook her head violently, trying to forget. She turned her back away from the window, forcing herself into the corner of the wall. She leaned her head up against its surface, forearms pressed up against each adjacent side, pressing the bottoms of her fists hard into them. 

"It was all a dream Sabine. Wake up. It wasn't real. It wasn't real...," she forcefully said to herself.

The last thing that flashed before her was the face of her mother at the other side of the sword. Her eyes burned with anger and hatred, and at that moment, Sabine knew she was going to die by her hand. She regained some control as her eyelids flew open and she stared at the reddish clay wall in front of her. Her heart was racing once more; her breaths, short and panicked; her cheeks, wet from tears.

She turned her back to the wall, covering her face with her hands and slid down to the floor. She quietly wept, until she could cry no more. She wiped her eyes across the sleeve of her shirt, then stared at her surroundings. Emotionally drained, she wondered why this was happening and desperately wanted it all to stop. She stood up slowly and leaned up against the window sill, looking down to see that there were no longer any signs of the commotion she witnessed.

She sat upon the edge of her bed, exhausted, debating whether or not to take a rest. Tired as she was, she feared experiencing any further horrific nightmares. After a few moments, she walked towards the refresher, hoping a shower would cleanse her thoughts.

* * *

Through most of the morning, Sabine managed to keep her head from thinking about anything that happened. She carefully focused on tasks that wouldn't remind her of her past. She didn't touch her armor, she didn't practice her fighting techniques, she didn't go near any of her art or supplies. Instead, she took some time at the market, purchasing food and supplies for her and Kya, watched children play in the streets, and even went to a nearby cafe to relax. It was about midday before she returned home, at which point she was surprised that Kya was still nowhere to be found. The woman had clearly gotten up and left early that morning, to where and for what, Sabine was unsure.

After putting the food and supplies away, she paced back to her room, dropped onto her bed and reached for her datapad. Surprisingly she noticed a message.

_"Hunter, your success rate and dependable nature with our tasks has earned you a spot in our elite network of operatives. Being so, we request your assistance with a very important mission. It will require full attention and a collaborative effort among a few of our other trusted operatives. Should you accept, you will meet with the others, then will be debriefed on the objective. High stakes are involved, but high rewards are generously offered. Your answer is required in the next hour."_

"Force! That's only 15 minutes from now!" She exclaimed to herself.

Sabine quickly assessed the situation. This contact has been a persistent client of hers throughout a number of her jobs. They are well organized and do pay handsomely. However, so far, her tasks have been menial. She hadn't yet demonstrated her full abilities, nor had any experience in high profile tasks in her line of work. For a moment, she doubted her abilities to claim her spot on their team, and wondered what risk she was involving herself with.

Debating back and forth with herself, it was now merely 3 minutes before the deadline.

"Kriff. Why not? If there's anyone I'd work for to get ahead in this game, it'd be them. At least I know them. Kinda."

Sabine responded back to the message, with barely a minute to spare.

_"I accept."_

Not a moment too soon, she received a response.

_"Welcome aboard. Your contact will meet you at the usual spot, 0800, tonight."_

_"Understood."_

"Finally. Something worthy to distract me. I hope," she said with exasperation.


	5. Aristan

A few hours before her intended meet-up, she scoured the fridge for a makeshift dinner. Gathering up whatever she could find, she heated up a plate and began to eat her meal. Her home was empty and quiet, still, with no signs of Kya. Sabine kept thinking about the elderly woman, hoping more than anything that she was just avoiding her and taking her time to get over their previous disagreement, and that something bad had not happened to her. Either way, she had no way of knowing and no way of contacting her. She thought about leaving a note, but wondered if that would have just rekindled the anger and frustration the woman had felt. In the end, Sabine gathered up what she needed and headed out, without leaving any message for Kya to find.

Sabine made her way to the usual meet-up spot, a rowdy bar in the outskirts of town. It was a place where those who had the guts, dared to enter. Trouble followed most of the patrons, and sometimes, they leave with more problems than they came in with. Sometimes, trouble finds them. Sometimes, they jump head first into it. With the bounty hunters that took refuge here, most of them were part of the latter, including Sabine. Bounties generally are trouble after all.

Walking in, she took in her surroundings, attempting to pick-up on anything that may clue her into who her contact may be. To her surprise, they found her immediately. She was approached by a sentient being, with dark brown, thick skin. He wore a tan jumpsuit with bits of metallic plating, that she supposed, served as protective armor. He was of decent build, heavyset and bore a broad, flat nose. Approaching her, he spoke.

"You're the one aren't you?" he said with a deep, mumbling voice.

"Um...that depends."

"You look like the one. Mandalorian, yes?"

"Yes."

"Come. He wants to speak to you."

Confused, Sabine followed, but kept her guard up, unsure of what she was walking into. They headed over to a far booth, hidden in the dark shadows, near the corner of the bar. They positioned themselves next to the stage, where live entertainment played. It was deafening, since the band performed loudly. However, anyone who wondered by would have no way of overhearing anything.

At the table, there were four others. One of them, stood out from the rest. He was Arkanian. He sat upright, and exuded confidence, possibly arrogance. At first glance, it was hard to tell which it was. The minute they approached the table, he gestured to Sabine to sit next to him. The others repositioned themselves to allow her to do so.

"Hunter, I presume," he said with a calm, silky, yet strong voice.

Sabine nodded.

"Good, then we're all in attendance."

Sabine looked around the table to see the faces of those in her company. Two of them were much older than her, while two others seemed to be roughly the same age as herself.

"Now then, young Mandalorian, welcome to Aristan."

"Aristan?" she asked.

"Yes, it is the name we have been assigned by our employer. We are one of their elite teams, formed to handle their most important, and sensitive tasks."

Intrigued, Sabine looked around once more at those surrounding her, trying to assess what skills they each may be bringing to the table.

"Ah, I see you are assessing. Good. A sign of intelligence and awareness. I respect that."

"Grifden, I think you think too highly of our new comrade," said another. The man had dark gray, leathery skin, and his upper half, appeared to be molded with some form of bio-engineered technology. His amber eyes were fixated on Sabine as he spoke.

"Now, now Sidar, no need to be unkind. I'm sure there's a reason she was recommended to join us," he finished. He then turned back to Sabine. "Please forgive him. He's quite a skilled marksman and warrior, but he envies those who exhibit more intelligence than himself."

Under her helmet, Sabine smirked at the compliment. She didn't really trust Arkanians, mainly due to the brief encounters she had as a cadet, but she knew of their intelligence and temperament and was not about to cross him.

"Young Hunter, these folks you see here will now be your comrades, for as long as you a working member of this crew."

"Or at least until you die," commented another. As he laughed out loud, a female joined in, snickering at his remark.

"Are you quite finished?" Asked Grifden in an annoyed tone, as he glared at the both of them. In that one look, both immediately quieted down.

"I apologize for all the rude interruptions. This crew, though quite skilled and exemplary, their manners are all but." He turned once more to Sabine. "You will have the pleasure of knowing them, once we're off the ground. For now, know that we five, other than our employer, will be THE ONLY ONES you will speak to regarding ANYTHING about this mission. Understood?"

"Yes sir," she responded. 

Clearly, he was the leader of this crew, and rightly so. Sabine's initial assessment of the others did not show any claims of them being intelligent enough to coordinate the efforts of an elite squad.

"Ah, a proper response. No doubt a result of your military background," he said as he smiled at her. "Keep it up, young Hunter, and you and I will get along just fine."

Sabine nodded, but she could feel that behind his friendly appearance and sly smile, that there was more to him. Definitely someone she didn't feel comfortable around, nor trust.

The loud music and boisterous voices deafened the room, while conversations between Sabine and the Arkanian continued. Eventually, Grifden got all the information he needed from Sabine, leaving her with very little information about anything.

"Hunter, I assume you are quite curious and have a number of questions. Fear not, they will be answered in time. For now, think of this as...an interview, of which you passed nicely. Obviously, I did some background checks on you, so I did know quite a bit about you before you joined us here tonight, but I wanted to gather up some additional information, things you only learn in person. I'm sure you understand."

Sabine nodded once more.

"Good, then we can conclude for the evening. Meet us at this address in two days time. We will be preparing all we need. I recommend that you do as well."

The man slipped a piece of paper to Sabine, gesturing to her that she keep it in secret until safely away from the prying eyes of others.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, young one. I very much look forward to working with you and seeing what you are capable of doing."

Those next to her stood up from the table, allowing Sabine to exit.

"Until we meet again," he said.

Sabine once more nodded at his direction, before turning away and exited the bar.

"Young one. Really? I swear if he calls me that one more time, I am going to..."

Sabine stopped as she heard the loud crash of metal around her. It was followed by voices of angry thugs claiming victim to some unfortunate soul. Hastily, she made her way towards her speeder, once more keeping her guard up and checking over her shoulder. As soon as she mounted, she sped away as fast as she could. She definitely hated the feel of the alleyways around that place. Nothing good ever came out of that part of town.

* * *

It was dark out. The early morning rays of Kalkovak's sun had not yet broken through the pitch black sky. There were a few stars that shimmered in spots not covered by heavy clouds. The coolness of morning, mixed with the dryness of the air typically made Sabine drowsy, wishing she was back under her covers, but not today. Today was the day she was anxious to meet her new crew mates.

Sabine paced nervously in front of an abandoned apartment complex. She had snuck out of her home, as to not alarm Kya. Though, truth be told, things were not quite right between the two of them since their last encounter, and neither has really spoken to the other. In fact, avoidance would better describe their current approach. There was distance growing between them, brought about by their unwillingness to confront the other. 

Kya wasn't sure how to handle her feelings towards Sabine. There were many times she felt like a mother to her, but other times, when she felt that she didn't know her at all. She didn't understand the Mandalorian culture, nor how important it was to Sabine. She knew of the troublesome past that had crushed Sabine, but didn't know enough. Bits and pieces of the girl was all she had, and apparently she wasn't handling the situation the right way. She needed time.

Sabine too, was at fault. She felt that she had hurt Kya, and typically, she would have no problems apologizing for her behavior, but she felt in her heart that Kya never fully accepted her, as she was — as she is. She knew the woman saw her as a daughter, but she also felt that she was living in the shadows of Kya's lost child. She wanted the attention and care that Kya's motherly actions provided. She craved them. She desperately wanted someone to love her for her. She tried to live up to the expectations everyone had of her because...it made it easier to be accepted. She thought it was the best way; her mother, Pristella, Kya, but at the end of the day, she knew she was lying to herself. She was hiding who she was. Being young and growing into one's self is a major part of anyone's life, and day by day, Sabine felt she was becoming less of what everyone wanted, and becoming her own. Fighting her cries for attention, in order to be herself, was part of who she was now. In a way, her intentions are commendable, but at the same time, her approach distanced herself from others, exacerbating the problem of ever truly being loved.

As the time drew near, a hovercraft slowly approached from a distance. Its quiet engine nearly kept its presence unknown, but the bright, glaring headlights beamed in the darkness. 

As it pulled close, she heard a voice shout out, "Get in."

There were two figures whose faces she couldn't quite pick up on the dark. As she stood there analyzing them, the other person turned and yelled out, "What kind of invitation are you waiting for, Mandalorian? We don't need you, you know."

Immediately, she recognized that voice. It was the female voice of one of the younger members who sat at the booth two days prior. She quickly hopped into the backseat.

"Um...sorry, I just wasn't sure."

"Wasn't sure? You meeting up with anyone else at this hour?" the girl asked sarcastically.

"No, I just..."

"You thought you were going get kidnapped or something?" the driver finished.

"No, I..."

"Ha, well if you thought that, then you definitely don't belong on our crew. Weakling." The girl blurted out.

"What the hell is your problem?" Sabine said angrily, after being constantly interrupted by insults.

"You! Mandalorian!" her companion answered, before he turned back at the wheel and sped down the street.

"You both got something against Mandalorians?" Sabine questioned hastily, as she defended herself.

"You don't even know the half of it. Especially a half-sized runt like you," the girl answered.

"You're not any bigger!" Sabine shouted out.

Just then their comlink sounded off, with the girl promptly responding it.

_"Pick-up successful?"_

"Yep"

_"Good, I expect you all here promptly. And no trouble from either of you, and I mean that. I better not hear of any problems you created for our new young recruit."_

"Uh huh."

 _"Karshina, I mean it. You too Jibba,"_ the voice said in a very demanding manner.

"No problems here boss," he responded.

_"Good."_

She threw the comlink down at the seat, and the two laughed.

"No problems, right, you buckethead wannabe?" the driver chuckled, unknowing of the depth of truth behind his words.

"What did you call me?"

"You heard him. Wearing that awful looking gear all the time...you look like a buckethead, who couldn't afford the _full_ armor."

"Hahaha, she probably lost'em!" he exclaimed. "You know how dumb and unskilled those nerf herders are," he continued to laugh.

Sabine was stewing. The insults at her armor were the last straw.

"You know what, you kriffing airheads, I'm more skilled then the two of you combined. I don't need you," Sabine retorted, before expertly jumping out of the speeding hovercraft and landing on the side of the road. She turned around and headed back in the direction she came from.

Jibba immediately stomped on the breaks and reversed the vehicle.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! Get back in here!" he demanded.

"Oh, I don't think so."

"What? You just gonna walk back home?" Karshina asked sarcastically.

"Whatever I gotta do. I'm not riding with you laserbrains."

"You really think you're better than us, don't you?" she asked.

"I know it," Sabine answered with bravado.

"You know what, that's it," the girl shouted. 

She drew her blaster and shot directly at Sabine's back. 

"Wait! Shina, don't!" the boy screamed.

Luckily, Sabine's reaction time was quick and dodged it altogether, before she turned back at them and fired her Westars at them both. The female continued to counter with her own pistols, while her male companion took cover behind his seat.

"Stop! You both are going to get us killed!" he shouted.

"Shut-up Jib, if she dies, she dies. I don't care. That Mandalorian is no better than us!"

"Shina! You know what I mean!"

They continued to fire at one another, causing such a scene that it started to attract unwanted attention from the locals.

"Shina! The people! Put down your weapon!"

"Jib, by the Force, I swear..."

In that instant, local law enforcement vehicles drew close. Their sirens grew louder as it approached them."

"Dammit Shina! Now we have to go!" 

The boy quickly put their hovercraft into gear and started speeding away, leaving Sabine to run and escape from capture as well. She knew the last thing she needed was to be apprehended, on Kalkovak of all places. She didn't want to cause problems on her new homeworld.

* * *

Sabine eventually made it back to her hideout, undetected. Unfortunately, she had to steal another speeder to do so. She took a sigh of relief before plopping down one of the beaten looking desk chairs.

"Guess that job's blown," she said quietly to herself.

She turned on her holopad and tried to find something to calm her down. She escaped alright, but her heart raced from the chase, not to mention the anger and frustration she felt, hearing the echo of her two companions, dragging down the Mandalorian name, and insulting her abilities.

It was about fifteen minutes before she got a notification.

_"Hunter. We had a deal. Backing out now is not tolerated. Our employer will not be happy to hear of your desertion."_

She assumed the message to be from the Arkanian.

_"With all due respect, I am not going to work with those two, especially after they attempted to kill me."_

There was a significant pause in the response, that for a moment, Sabine became concerned; expecting the worse. She nearly got up to pack up her belongings, when he responded back.

_"It seems I was not privy to that information. They will suffer the consequences of their actions. However, the fact still remains that it appears you have abandoned the mission."_

She read into his words. She knew there'd be trouble if she didn't go through with her word. She didn't quite understand why, since she really had no information about these people, other than their first names, nor anything about the mission. Nevertheless, she wasn't willing to cause trouble for herself here on this planet, nor possibly put Kya in danger. Not to mention, if she wanted to keep working towards being a real bounty hunter, she had to protect her reputation.

_"If you can smooth out the problems, I'm 100% still willing to cooperate."_

_"It will be handled. Return to the bar. He will take you here."_

"How vague," she mumbled.

_"I'll be there."_

She collected her items and grabbed a bottle of Jogan juice. "Aaaand here we go again."


	6. The First Assignment - Part I

*thump thump thump thump...*

During the encounter at the bar, she didn't realize how loud this man walked, especially now that they're going up the ramp to what she presumed was a ship.

"Are we boarding a ship?" she asked tentatively. 

The man grunted, before responding, "Yea. The commander's inside. You'll see him soon."

"Sooo, can I take the blindfold off yet? I don't see why I need it if we're already here."

"Not yet. Sorry. Just following orders."

"Uh huh. Okay then..."

They maneuvered through the ship's corridors, until she was finally stopped, and heard the man's voice.

"Ah, Hunter, thank you for agreeing to continue with the mission."

Her escort reached over and pulled the blindfold off of Sabine's face.

"I didn't want to disappoint the boss. Besides, you didn't sound like you were giving me much of a choice," Sabine responded with some resentment in her tone.

The Archanian was a bit surprised at seeing Sabine's face.

"You are...much younger than I had anticipated."

"Is that a problem?"

"No. Not a problem at all. Just...interesting."

Sabine glared at his comment.

"Come now Hunter. Let's not get on each other's bad sides. We were getting along quite well before your unfortunate experience with 'the children,' " he said with a disgusted tone, as he turned away from her to access a ship comm, mounted to the wall beside him.

"Jibba, we are set to go."

"Yes sir," responded a timid voice over the speaker.

The sound of the ship, preparing for flight, broke the eerie silence that surrounded them.

"Again, I apologize for their behaviors. They will be punished for their unruliness. I DO NOT tolerate such acts on my crew," he said as he turned back to face her.

"I also apologize for the threat that was communicated in my message, but it was necessary. You do understand, don't you?"

In her mind, Sabine questioned that. She didn't really understand to begin with. With such little information, she didn't understand how she could've been a threat. Regardless, she nodded.

"Good. Lastly, my comment about your age. I meant no disrespect. I only was impressed at a combination of your skill-set, manners, and youthful appearance. Based on what I know about you, from our employer, and my sources, I expected that you were...well, quite older. Being so young...I do not doubt that you have the potential to become a strong warrior one day."

Sabine bit her lip, holding herself back from arguing that she _is_ already a strong warrior.

After a bit of a pause, he commented once more. "You will be an asset to anyone who happens to be lucky enough to have you on their side. I'm sure of it."

Sabine looked back at him. He looked in her direction with a smile. He seemed genuine enough. His words were surprisingly complimentary, considering their association, and the fact that they technically were still strangers to one another. Yet, she was comforted by them, and felt that he was someone she could potentially get along with. Grifden's words reminded her of Master Var.

"Now. I've said my peace. Can we go back to speaking to each other, without any bitterness?"

Sabine straightened up, willing to forgo the past incidences, before responding, "Yes sir."

"Splendid. Thank you, Hunter. Now I shall provide you with introductions to your crew mates, as well as the information regarding this job. I can understand how miserable you must be, being kept in the dark."

"You have no idea," she responded.

"Indeed. I'm assuming you've already picked up on my name?"

Sabine nodded.

"I expected as much. I believe it was mentioned only once, but you seem to be very perceptive. The Artiodac who brought you here, is Zayrhin. The other, taller man you met the other night, is a Delphidian who goes by Sidar. And the two troublemakers..."

"Jib and Shina, is it?" Sabine questioned, trying to finish his sentence.

"Indeed. Jibba and Karshina, the Pantoran twins," he said with annoyance as he shook his head.

"I really don't prefer to work with children. Honestly, who does? But these two do happen to be quite skillful in their craft. Just as yourself. The boy is an excellent pilot, and the girl, she's pretty good in a fight."

Sabine bit her lip once more, holding her resentment at being bucketed in the same category as those two, and being called a child. Grifden picked up on it however.

"My dear soldier, do not take offense. I didn't mean that I didn't want to work with you. If I had to bet all my credits in a head-to-head bout between you and those two, I'd bet them on you. As I said before, from what I know, you are quite impressive Hunter."

Sabine began to glow from the constant compliments he gave her. It quickly quenched any anger or resentment she originally had.

"Sir, thank you, but you do put an awful lot of confidence in me, considering that we've just met."

"Hmm," he smiled. "That may be true, but I can sense these things. I've worked with a number of people in my time, and I have learned to tell when there is someone of great talent in my presence. It has become something I've come to rely on, to judge predicaments and to know who is a potentially great ally, or dangerous foe. I hope, young Hunter, that we are allies."

"I'd like to think so, sir."

He nodded, with a smile. "Now then, on to the important details..."

* * *

Sabine sat on a bench in the common area of the ship. She was inspecting one of her Westar's for any damage and kept in mind any maintenance that she'll have to do on them after the mission. She was trying to keep herself occupied, and keep her worry at bay. After being debriefed on the specifics of the mission, she was a bit overwhelmed.

_"Sir...this is...this is a real high profile job..."_

_"Indeed, and therefore, we need the best people to accomplish it."_

_"Sir, I..."_

_"Hunter, I do not doubt for one second that you are more than capable of handling this task."_

_"How can you be so sure? I've never done anything like this before. I haven't even worked with you before."_

_"I just know Hunter. I just know."_

_Walking over to her, he placed a hand on her shoulder._

_"Our employer trusts you. I know all I need to know about you, and you've demonstrated plenty, whether you know it or not. Yes, experience may not be on your resume just yet, but, you are capable. You need to learn to see that."_

Knowing that the commander had strong faith in Sabine, she tried to use that to comfort her nerves. Just then, Karshina walked in. Sabine reacted immediately and pointed her blaster at her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on for a second!" she said with her hands raised.

"Oh, and why should I do that?"

"We're on the same team!"

"Yea...I'm supposed to trust that," Sabine responded with a scoff.

"We are! Look, I came here to apologize."

Skeptical, Sabine loosened up a bit, but kept her weapon drawn. Knowing she wasn't going to convince the Mandalorian otherwise, the girl slowly pulled out her own weapons slowly, then tossed it on the ground at Sabine.

"There. Can you at least stop pointing that at me so we can talk?"

Sabine did so, reluctantly, but still kept her guard up.

"Look. You're not going to believe me anyway, but am sorry for the trouble we caused you."

"And for trying to kill me?" Sabine asked with resentment.

"Yep. Look, Jib and I have had a difficult past and..."

"I don't need your sob story."

"Riight. Fine. Just...let's start over ok? I'm Karshina. You can call me Shina," she said, reaching out her hand.

Sabine continued to remain skeptical. She most certainly was not believing any act of good will from the female Pantoran, and she was definitely not about to trust her words. Sabine looked at the girl's outstretched hand, then back at the girl.

"Are ya gonna keep me hanging like this?"

"I don't trust you."

"Come on, Hunt, at least accept my apology and shake on it."

"It's Hunter."

"I know."

Sabine let out a frustrated sigh, and the girl finally pulled back her hand.

"Okay, well, I said what I had to."

"What you _had to_? That's exactly why I'm not believing you. I'm sure that's what the commander wanted you to do, and not what you really feel."

"You'd think that, wouldn't you?"

"It's the truth."

"Is it?"

Sabine grunted and shook her head, before sitting back down on the bench. The girl walked over and sat next to her.

"Seriously? You need to get outta here," Sabine said with more frustration.

"Can't. I'm part of the crew on this ship too. You're stuck with me."

"You know what I meant. You don't have to be _here_."

"Are you worried about the job?"

"Why? You don't think I can handle it?"

"No. I was wondering if you've been part of an assassination before."

Sabine tried to pretend that that wasn't the case. True, she's never done anything like this before, but she didn't want to give that away.

"Don't worry about me. I'll manage fine."

"Hmmph, I'm sure you will," she finished, before getting up to leave. 

Sabine watched the girl head towards the door, until she couldn't hold back any longer.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked angrily.

The girl stopped in her tracks with her back facing Sabine, then answered, "You're a Mandalorian..."

"And?"

"And the commander completely trusts you. That's more than we'll ever get from him..." she said, as she left the room.


	7. The First Assignment - Part II

_"Splice, you know what to do."_

"I'm on it."

It was the day of the attack, and their mission was two-fold: one group dealt with the actual target, the other had to steal some highly coveted data. They all operated under code names, as was deemed necessary by Grifden. Splice, was Sabine's. She was accompanied by Strongarm, aka Zayrhin, while Rocket, aka Jibba remained in charge of their getaway shuttle. The rest, led by the Chief, Grifden, handled their target.

Sabine hacked her way through their systems, it was highly secured, and she'd only broken into something that sophisticated once before. Oddly enough, the protocols used were very similar to those used by the Empire. As she tried to navigate through and obtain the information she needed, Zayrhin kept the guards busy.

"Chief, all set here."

"Good, as scheduled. Rendezvous with us here."

"On our way."

Blasting through security droids and armed guards, she and the Artiodac fought their way towards the rest of the team. They easily cleared every corridor they passed and made it to the central location of the building, where a set of large doors stood. They knocked their code on the door, and entered.

"You two made it just in time. Our guest here is no longer of use to us."

"No no no no! Wait!" the man pleaded.

"Thrasher, silence him for a moment." 

At his command, Karshina grabbed the man's head and slammed it up against the edge of the desk, causing an intense yelp, which quieted down into whimpers.

"The Chief says to shut up, so SHUT UP. Any noise from you, and you'll be worried about much much worse."

The Arkanian grinned under his mask. Sabine stood by the door, attempting to remain strong. Although the violence she's seen was no worse than those she'd been a part of before, the knowledge she had about their target and what they were to do to him, sickened her. She bore extreme guilt, and she was fighting her own instincts to save the man.

The man was a newly elected, country-wide leader, who fought the odds to get into office. Their planet was home to corruption and greed, to the point that it had torn their society into shambles. This man, with the help of supportive extremists, managed to claw his way to the top, promising to clean up their world, and breathe new life into it. He hoped to bring their country together in peace. He had done no wrong, and his goals were idealistic. He didn't deserve to die.

"Now then Minister, as we've discussed, the choices you've made led you here. You knew the moment you stood opposed to the organization, that there was a likely chance of this happening. I suggest you act like a man, and accept your fate. Splice," he gestured to Sabine, "Come."

Sabine did as ordered and stood by his side.

"Now then, how about we anoint our newest member." The man turned to Sabine, his hand held the back of her bare neck.

"Chief, I...," she looked over at the man, on his knees, wiping away the blood and tears from his face. The more she looked at him, the more sorry she felt for him, and the worse her conscience ate at her.

"Chief, I don't think...," the man's hand gripped tight on Sabine's nape. She knew that he meant business, and that she was not to delay.

"Splice, whatever your doubts are no longer matter. This man is our target, nothing more. Part of your job is help us accomplish it, so finish it," he said, as he gripped tighter, making his grasp painful to bare. His grip was broken by Killshot, aka Sidar's voice over their comlink.

"Chief, you don't have much time. Reinforcements just arrived and they're headed your way. I'm trying to slow them down, but there's too many of them."

With a frustrated grunt, he acknowledged the news.

"It seems like you'll have to wait for your chance another time, Splice."

With that, he quickly grabbed his pistol and aimed right for the man's head. Upon seeing this, he closed his eyes tightly, choking back his cries as he knelt there, shaking.

"Goodbye Minister," he said, before firing at him.

Sabine watched as the perfectly aimed shot, ended the Minister's life. His body hit the ground immediately. She could barely keep it together when she heard Grifden's orders.

"Alright, we're done here," he called to everyone. "Rocket, now," he called over to the comm.

"On the way, Chief. I'll be there in less than a minute."

The team exited off the balcony's edge and hopped into the arriving shuttle, before making it back to their ship.

* * *

Sabine took her helmet off and splashed her face with cool water. Her nerves were a wreck, and, she was angry at herself, but for which reason, she wasn't entirely sure. Half of her was angry at the fact that she didn't do anything to stop her crew from killing that man. The other half, was angry that she couldn't stomach what had happened and move on. 

"This is part of the job Sabine! Get over it! This is what real bounty hunters do. This is what I signed up for."

She splashed more water onto her face before she heard her name over the ship's comm.

"Hunter, meet me in the communications bay."

Without further delay, she went, as ordered.

* * *

"Hunter, care to explain yourself?" Grifden asked, as he turned to face her, then leaned on the communications console.

"Uh...sir?"

"Your hesitation, Hunter."

Sabine knew what he was referencing, but didn't know how to respond.

"You call yourself Hunter. A nickname I suppose you gave yourself for your career, yes?"

Sabine nodded.

"Yet, what hunter is hesitant to kill the prey they were set to track?"

"I...I'm sorry, sir."

"Up until now, you've shown me your potential. This, my young Mandalorian, is my first disappointment in you." He looked at her, as her eyes stared down to the floor.

"If I am to trust your loyalty to this team, and to our employer, I need to know that you will follow orders without question."

Sabine remained quiet.

"Do you hear me, soldier?"

"Yes, sir."

"I hope that you do, for your sake. The next time, you will do as ordered, or you will share the same fate."

Sabine immediately lifted her head in shock at his threat.

"Hmm. You heard right, young one. I am fond of you, so I am giving you this warning. Do not disappoint me again."

"Yes, sir..." she said, with a weak and trailing voice.

"I would hope you are more serious than that, Hunter."

"Sorry sir! I won't let you down again," she said, with more strength in her resolve.

"Good. Dismissed."

She turned her back and headed for the door.

"Oh, Hunter?"

She stopped and turned back to him.

"On another note, I'm quite impressed at your hacking skills and adept manner in which you obtained the data that you did. That system was quite complex, and you made it seem like child's play. I would love to keep working with you. Please remember not to let me down next time."

"Yes, sir. Thank you sir."

"Dismissed."


	8. Who You Surround Yourself With, You Become

The bounty she completed, earned her enough credits to keep her and Kya afloat for quite some time. It was a handsome reward, plus there was a little extra as a bonus for her first completed, actual bounty. Her employer wanted to show his deep gratitude for her work. Her success kept her gainfully employed with them, almost on a daily basis. 

Sabine was generally always working. At times, she may get a few days here and there to herself, but for the most part, as soon as one job was completed, the Aristan crew was onto the next target. Her relationship with them got better over time. 

She and Sidar now got along. She earned his respect, and now they converse frequently about weapons and play a game, "Marksman," they called it. It was a mental game, where a scenario would be presented to them about a kill target, and both are given a limited time to come up with the best and most efficient way of executing it. Sometimes, the game would be presented by another crew member, where they came up with sometimes incredulous scenarios, which was welcomed by both players, as it would provide them with ways to be creative about their methods.

Sabine and Grifden were back on close terms. She never once questioned his orders again. There had been times when her opinions and views went against his, but she kept her mouth shut. However, it was not out of fear. In the beginning, it was, but then, more often times than not, she found that he was correct. To top it off, his views were logically sound, his methods were creative, and his execution, unwavering. She started to look up to him. Without her realizing, she began to see him as a mentor, a leader that she would happily follow. Grifden, in turn, learned to trust Sabine more and more, giving her free reign at times to do as she pleased, so long as it didn't interfere with their task. He gave her more responsibilities, and more opportunities to better her skills and use them, which led to hefty credit shares.

Sabine started to even grow closer with the twins. Both took great efforts to apologize for their behavior, explaining the stress, their background, their family, and their past, and why it was targeted at her. Grifden's interference gave the twins the time to reflect on their actions, albeit through punishments and pay cuts, but they did eventually come around. It took some time for them all to consider each other friends, but it had been four months since the incident. Time healed and with constantly being faced to work with each other, everything sorted itself out.

As for Zayrhin, well, things didn't change much. He was generally quiet, mostly grumpy, but they continued to get along well. Their relationship forged itself through their fists. Constant sparring matches between the two, brought about an understanding that only warriors acknowledged between themselves.

Things seem to have been going well. Financially, Sabine was stable. Emotionally, things were getting better, she was moving forward, and was able to leave her past behind her. Her crew and job made for great distractions and enabled her to heal. However, there was one relationship she had yet to salvage. Kya's.

It's been slightly over four months since their fight, and things were never quite the same between them. They were civil to one another, acknowledged each other's presence, and still took care of each other, but it was clear there was still distance to bridge. The "bounty hunter topic," was the elephant in the room that neither dared to speak of. Both feared hurting the other once more, and both were still undecided on how to best deal with it, so their temporary solution was to ignore it altogether. These days, Kya no longer asks Sabine what she's up to. The only thing she requests of her, is to let her know when she is leaving, and when she is expected to return. This was more so that Kya could make sure that Sabine would have something welcoming to come home to. Generally, this was a hot meal, Kya's way of showing gratitude for Sabine's safe return.

Relationships aside, Sabine was changing. Changing in a gradual manner that she didn't realize at first.

Some, where positive. She started to trust again. Being part of a crew with a unified task, where they almost felt like a work family, helped tremendously. Her skillset improved dramatically. The mental challenges, the physical training, the mentorship, all provided her with resources that allowed her to continually grow, enforcing her abilities as a soldier, a warrior, and a bounty hunter.

Others, however, were quite the opposite. Although she was more open to trust, she learned to keep walls up where necessary. Contrary as it sounds, trust is a complicated aspect of life, especially in one who's been betrayed deeply. In Sabine's world, that meant that she could only be herself to some degree, she allowed others into her life, but it also meant that there were some emotions, she shut off from the outside world. There were topics that were avoided altogether, to prevent anyone from getting too close. Ironically, this worked for the crew. In a group of criminals, everyone had secrets and boundaries, and generally, they all respected that.

However, this half-attempted effort at trust, was destroying her emotional connection to the world. Other than the obvious impact of not creating meaningful relationships, it closed her eyes to the truth. Her limited circle of "trusted" people, made it easier to convince Sabine that what they were doing, was justified. Bounty hunting wasn't just a way of living, it was who she became. 

Logic was the other major player to this change in behavior. Grifden was incredibly smart, one of the single characteristics that drew Sabine to him. His way of thinking, his logic to justify that what they did, didn't only fill their pockets with credits, but gave them a sense of self, a sense of purpose, with whatever it was, and whatever it entailed. Turning blind eye to things, was very much an understatement. Her purpose, and her belief in Grifden's 'sound logic," tainted her view of the world. Sabine became less caring of others that stood in the way of their job. She didn't interfere with the harsh cruelty placed upon them, and she didn't even contest the methods. She did what she had to. She played the role she had to. The crew fostered this same mentality, so in time, everything became normal. Yet, there was still one thing she had never done. Kill.


	9. Cloaks and Daggers - Part I

It was another bright, sunny morning on Kalkovak. The rays of the sun filled Sabine's room. The warmth that surrounded her as she laid there, was a gentle reminder that it was going to be another intense day of heat.

"Kriff, I really do miss being in a cooler climate," she grunted, her face covered by a pillow she had thrown over herself.

"A whole month off. It's kind of weird," Sabine thought to herself, as she laid in bed, pondering on what to do with her free time. 

Her employer had some business to do in Ralltiir and had taken Grifden with him. She wasn't sure of what that business entailed, but she wasn't going to start prying. Clearly, with the deeds that she and her crew were involved in, it was obvious that there were some matters she didn't need to know about.

She laid in bed, trying to go back to sleep, but she didn't have the best window coverings to block out the blinding rays. Shutting her eyes did little. She still felt as though she was staring into the sun itself. Realizing her efforts were futile, she got up and started her day.

As she headed into the kitchen, she thought about Kya.

"Maybe....maybe we can do something together for a change," she thought momentarily.

However, seeing the empty kitchen only saddened her to think that maybe their relationship was beyond repair. She ate some cereal and read some articles on the holonet, but became quickly bored of that. She wasn't used to having nothing to do; no agenda, or plans. She looked around the room, her eyes landing on the painting that hung on the wall; the one she had made for Kya.

The colors screamed of happier times. The images of the two figures became more alive the longer she stared. She remembered how the meaning of the painting first started as a representation of Kya and her lost daughter, and how quickly Kya came to see the child in the work as being representative of both Aily and Sabine; the two daughters she loved. Tears began to form in her eyes she lingered on that thought. She remembered the old woman's face, and the joy that poured out of her. The quiet sounds of nothing rang in her ears, bringing her back to the present. As she stared up at the painting one last time, her heart suddenly sank. She realized one more similarity between her and Aily that the painting represented. Loss. She imagined that Kya now saw the painting as one that reminded her of two lost daughters.

"Maybe...maybe that's why she's never here. Would she...would she see it that way?" she thought to herself as she tried to hold from full out crying.

Sabine didn't want to think about what pain Kya must be feeling if that were the case. The tears streamed down her face. Perhaps she was over-thinking it, but she couldn't stop her tears from falling.

She missed Kya. She missed having a mother again.

* * *

The morning dragged on. She couldn't think of a project to work on. She chugged another bottle of Jogan juice to cool off. On the floor of her room, she scribbled on her art pad a bit, with no luck.

"Force! I'm soooo bored!" She exclaimed out loud in exasperation.

She had hoped that Kya would've returned by now. She had no idea what the woman's schedule was these days, but thought that perhaps she would've been surprised and pleased to see her home, and then, maybe they could start to mend things. Her hope, at the very least, was that having her there would make her feel less lonely.

Flopping over to her back, she stared at her ceiling. The red clay material stared right back at her. She might as well have been staring at her wall. She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes back, eventually seeing her room upside down. She looked at her items strewn around the floor, and when she saw it, she grinned with excitement.

"Finally! I can finally work on that! That'll make time fly!"

She jumped up and hopped across the floor and picked up her chestplate. 

"This," she said, staring at the drab gray alloy.

"It's about time this represented me."

* * *

It had been several days that she had taken her Mandalorian armor to her hideout. She was occupied with sketching and mixing colors until she had the right patterns she was looking for. She didn't realize how much effort it was taking her, and how well it distracted her. So much so, that she never even had time to go back home during the day to attempt to catch Kya when, and if she was around.

However, in about a week's time since she started, her design was finally complete. A unified mixture of reds, burgundy and orange had been thematically painted on all parts of her armor. Its placement was purposefully placed. Her artistic displays though, were mainly expressed through three main symbols that she felt represented important aspects to who she felt she was. 

First, was the pattern drawn on her right pauldron, which resembled the playing field of a dejarik board. Throughout her life, she had always been a quick learner, smart, adaptive and quick to think on her feet. She admired strategy. It was a trait she knew she had, that had set her apart from most of her peers growing up. As a young child, her mother and father would proudly remark about her abilities at her age. In her time at the academy, she was almost always ahead of her classmates, earning her top ranking classification, and being placed in elite squadrons. As of recent, Grifden had also consistently commented on her sharp mental thinking. Sabine felt that the checker-board pattern, representing a well-known strategic game, would best symbolize that trait.

The next was the design she placed on her left pauldron. This one, she went back and forth on many times. She wanted something to represent her now, who she truly felt she was, and not indicative of her past. She started thinking about the most basic reference points of most symbols: stars, figures, animals. Animals seemed like a good category to begin with. She thought about who she was now and what animal reflected that. This was where she spent most of her time. Not just the symbolism of who she was, but her definition of who she was. More often than not, Sabine was left thinking and reflecting on the person she had become. Her mind had wondered off many times, sometimes thinking too little, or, other times over-thinking it. She remembered a story she had heard from another cadet at the academy, one that spoke of a predatory animal, called the Anoobas. Although the cadet spoke of these creatures in malice, noting their violent behavior, his tale actually highlighted the strong points of its species. After some digging on the holonet, she realized they fit the bill. They were a known category of hunters, found in the outer rim. Hunters. Perfect.

Last, but not least, was a symbol she held dear. Her fondness of the starbird had not been forgotten. Its story, its connection to Kya, earned its place on her breastplate, close to her heart.

She laid out her armor on the ground, allowing all the paint to dry off of them.

"There. It's perfect," she said with a smile as she gazed upon her finished masterpiece.

Sabine stepped away and hopped up onto the wide window ledge of her hideout. She took a deep sigh as she sat down, and leaned her back up against the window's right frame, stretching her legs rest along the length of the ledge. She stared out into the distance. She could see the sun setting, giving way to bright reds and oranges that painted the sky.

"I should probably get back as soon as the paint is dry," she mumbled to herself, before staring back at her newly painted armor. A small smile formed on the girl's face.

She was in better spirits. As she looked upon the finished art piece, she felt as if a large burden had been lifted off her shoulders. She no longer was reminded of a dreary and troublesome past when she saw her gear. Now, she felt as if it became a symbol of a new start. Now, she can wear her armor with pride once more, instead of shame, guilt, sadness and anger rising from it. A Mandalorian, reborn.

Just then, she heard a subtle beeping coming from her holopad. Hopping of the ledge, she went over to it and saw a message from Jib.

_"Hey, Mando. It's Jib."_

Sabine rolled her eyes. It's not the worse nickname they'd given her, but every time she's mentioned it, the twins just laughed and came up with something else to call her. Luckily for them, they've all become friends over the few months, and it no longer bothered her as much as it used to. 

_"Shina and I are going to this underground club tonight. Wanna come hang out?"_

Yep, they've all become good friends. Not too close, but close enough that they've moved on from their issues, have gotten along, and have bonded over many of their notable fight stories.

Sabine raised her brow and shook her head. Those two are always up for three things: a good fight, a way to make money, and a way to blow money, which usually entailed partying or drinking somewhere.

_"Uh, thanks, but no thanks Jib. Not really my scene."_

Much to her surprise, he messaged her back immediately.

_"Oh, come on. It'll be fun! You never come out with us, and you totally should. You'll have a blast."_

_"Yea...I don't know about that."_

_"What, you got something better to do?"_

_"Maybe."_

_"Yea, right. Like I believe that. Come on Mando, I'll pay for all your drinks for the night. How bout that?"_

"Huh, how about that," she thought out loud. "He's never offered that before. I wonder why he wants me to go out so bad."

_"Hey, buckethead, it's Shina. You'd better come out tonight, or I'm totally going to make you play hide and seek with your blasters again the next time we're on the ship."_

"Ugh, really?" she said, as she tossed her head back in exasperation. "Why does she have to be such a kid sometimes? She knows I hate being called that."

Shina had this habit of making sure she got what she wanted from Jib, and she's started to try out ways to get it to work on Sabine. All her antics involved bribery, blackmailing, or childish games like this. Nothing malicious. The last time, her Westars went missing, she nearly lost her mind trying to find them, until she gave into Shina's request, to get them back.

_"Hey Shina. No way am I letting you get near my Westars again."_

_"You'd be surprised at what I'm capable of doing."_

_"You guys really aren't going to stop until I go, aren't you?"_

_":D"_

_"Ugh, fine, but you guys are totally paying for my drinks AND my food tonight."_

_"DEAL! Meet us at bar in an hour, then we'll head over together."_

_"An hour? Isn't that a bit early to be partying?"_

_"Hahahah, what are you? An old man like Grifden?"_

_"Uh, no. I just haven't heard of people going to clubs at 1900."_

_"Hahahah, Jib said we should start calling you Grifden Jr!"_

"By the gods, I swear these two..."

_"Seriously?"_

_"Hahahah, yea, I mean, you do shadow him a lot and he definitely favors you over everyone else on the crew."_

_"You know, I'm sure if you nerf herders could actually be dependable from time to time, he'd like you two better."_

_"What?!"_

_"Hah, you heard me. Would you like me to start listing things?"_

Sabine chuckled, remembering a few of the instances where the twins totally messed up and got chewed out by Grifden.

"I really have no idea why he keeps them around. I mean, they are good, but...for an elite team for the boss, you'd think they'd be replaced by now," she thought to herself.

_"I don't know what you're talking about. We pull our weight."_

Sabine chuckled once more, before she heard a beeping coming from her holopad.

"Oh, I touched a nerve," she laughed as she saw the incoming transmission.

"Hey nerf herders," she said as she picked up the call.

"Hey, you listen here, Grifden Jr. We are totally reliable and get the job done," Shina hollered out.

"Hahaha, I didn't say you didn't."

"Then?"

"You really want to go there? Ok. How about the time when our getaway shuttle ran out of fuel before we left the planet?"

Jib jumped in, "HEY! It wasn't my fault! There was a gas leak, and I..."

Sabine cut him off, "You should've run a systems check BEFORE the mission. And then how about that time when somebody totally missed taking out the guards during the job on Obroa-skai?"

This time, Shina jumped in to defend herself.

"Hey, no one told me to cover that wing!"

"You were in charge of securing the location. Do you really need to be told exactly what to secure?" Sabine responded with sarcasm.

"Yea but...okay, fine. That was one time, and honestly, I...you know what, nevermind!"

The three continued to laugh as Sabine went on.

"Okay, okay, Jr. We get your point. Ugh, now I really want a drink to forget our kriffing mess-ups," Jib said with defeat.

"You guys just gotta start paying more attention."

"Alright, enough of this. Jr., get over to the bar. Let's just head out now. You clearly aren't busy."

"I still don't get why..."

"Do you, or don't you want dinner paid for?" Shina interrupted.

"Why didn't you say that to begin with? Of course I do."

"Well, genius, I thought you'd pick up on that."

Sabine shook her head before responding, "Ok, I'm headed out now. See you guys in a bit."

Sabine checked her gear, then threw on the armor. The scorching heat of the day made quick work of drying the paint. She took one quick look at herself in the shards of broken glass across the way, and was pleased. She definitely felt that she was onto a new start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New year! I'm back!
> 
> I have a bunch of ideas and stories around this series, that I'm working on chronologically placing them into the proper areas and adding more depth, I guess you could call it. So it's taking me a bit to write, edit and proofread the next chapters/works in this collection (I even have bits of chapters written for the 7th part of this series! I'm a little all over the place. Once I get ideas in my head, I tend to jump on them, sometimes temporarily pausing on a storyline to do so -- which is what I recently did with "Lovers' Quarrel")
> 
> Anyway, enough rambling. The key takeaways: 
> 
> 1) I've got content to work with now, so hopefully I'll get to post back on my weekly schedule.  
> 2) A few other shorts may get written along the way -- unrelated to the series
> 
> Enjoy!


	10. Cloaks and Daggers - Part II

"Whoa, new paint job, huh buckethead?" the female Pantoran asked playfully.

"Really Shina? I told you I hate that nickname," Sabine said, as she made her way off her speeder and took her helmet off.

"Yea, well..I like it, brings back old memories, right?," the girl winked and smiled, as she playfully jabbed at Sabine's shoulder.

"Memories of when you both tried to kill me? Right. Good times," she responded, rolling her eyes.

"Um. Hello, I'm here too?" the male twin commented, waving his hands around the two.

"Uh huh, YOU weren't any better back then either," Sabine turned to him, raising a brow.

"Can't we seriously just forget that? I thought we all made up already," the boy said.

"I'm seriously trying to forget it, but your darling sister over here keeps reminding me," Sabine said, turning her focus back to her.

"Can't help it," Karshina said, as she grinned.

"Okay, seriously, you two need to calm down."

"Calm down? Who's upset?" the Mandalorian asked sarcastically.

"See Jib, no worries, she can handle it," the girl said, landing another playful jab at Sabine's shoulder.

"Gah, why do you keep punching so hard?"

"Aw Mando, I'm sorry. I didn't think that'd hurt you. I thought you were tougher than my brother over here," the girl said, as she thumbed to her other half.

"It didn't hurt, you just keep getting me by surprise, and it's not exactly a light tap."

"Yep, not a light tap. A love tap. Hahahha," the girl said, as she turned and headed down the street.

Sabine stopped, confused and looked at Jibba, then sighed. "I'm sorry you deal with this on a daily basis."

"You have NO idea," he responded.

The three continued walking down a maze of streets, alleyways, and corridors, before the stood in front of a weapons store front.

"Um, I thought we were getting dinner?" Sabine asked.

"We are!" Jibba exclaimed, as he slung his arm over her shoulders.

"Don't worry, buckethead, we'll feed ya as promised," Karshina said, as she grinned at her, before heavily nudging her elbow into Sabine's side, then walking into the establishment.

Jibba grinned as well, and pulled Sabine along with his arm around her neck.

The closeness of their friendship came with a lot of physical, yet endearing actions, something Sabine was still working to get used to. She's never really been close enough to anyone where that kind of thing was normal. She could individually count the people that had given her affection that way. Her mother, when she was much, much younger, her father, from time to time, Kya, before their argument, and _her_. The thought of Pristella jumped into her mind so quickly, it startled her, enough to make her stop suddenly and shudder, as she tried to shake away the bitter memory.

"Hey, Hunt, you okay?"

Sabine stared at Jib. His face was full of concern, which he tried hide, but was clear when he used her name. The conversation with the twins was known to be serious, when nicknames were no longer used.

"Yea, sorry Jib. I...I just remembered something."

"Something bad from the looks of it."

"It's...complicated."

"Hey! You two coming, or do you really need some alone time together?" the girl hollered out to them from a long set of stairs that was hidden beneath the floorboards, and was several rooms away from the store's main area.

"Aw, come on Shina!" the boy quickly responded, embarrassed by his sister's comment.

"How do you live with this?" Sabine asked rhetorically.

"It's not easy. Her pride in being the first born gave her a superiority complex. Somehow, she's also remarkably capable of spewing out insults, taunts and comebacks quicker than you can blink."

"So, you're saying she has an uncanny way of being annoying. Yep, I got that," she said, causing them both to laugh as they made their way down the stairs.

As far as the twins were concerned, Sabine had gotten used to them. She was surprised at how quickly things turned from bitter enemies to friends. She wasn't even sure how that really happened. She presumed that it came from a combination of things. One of them being the fact that they constantly had each other's backs during the rough parts of their missions. Having someone literally do so, cleared up doubt and built trust...eventually, she guessed. Karshina definitely played her role as bodyguard well, numerous times. However, the one thing she attributed their chummy attitudes most though, was certainly due in part of the twins' insistent, friendly and apologetic approaches. It was like they flipped a switch and became "normal" teenagers, who only wanted to befriend her. 

Sabine had many reservations initially about their sudden change of attitudes, but the longer she got to know them, the more she saw that their bipolar attitude was actually normal for them. She had never seen them become as intense as that first night, nor had they targeted their aggressions at her like that again, but she did see that violent and angry side of them, more than once, when they were "handling" any oppositional forces during their missions.

They made their way over to one of the empty tables in the establishment. There were a few patrons there, but not much. The night was early after all.

"Heya folks, been here before or need a menu?" asked a slender, male sentient.

"I'll take the rocks and shots special," Karshina answered.

"I'll have the Kalkovak brew and space fries," Jibba responded.

The man jotted down their orders on his notepad before turning to Sabine.

"Sorry, never been here before. Can I see the menu?" she asked.

"No problem," the man said, handing her a small sheet of paper. "And I got the other orders. I'll be back with those shortly."

Sabine stared at the card stock menu that looked like it was pulled out of a notepad. It was torn in some areas, partially wrinkled, and stained from various beverages and foods. It listed a handful of appetizer options, five entrées, and under the beverages section, it said, "Water, Wine and Beer. Ask about'em."

"Huh, first-class dining," she mumbled, as she looked over her options.

Jibba laughed, remembering a similar reaction he had, when he was first introduced to the place.

"It's not so bad, Mando. The grub here is really good, even if it is a small list. Plus, I mean, it's an underground spot, so...the people around here ain't up to keeping things lookin' pretty all the time, including the menu."

Looking around her, she wasn't too shocked. The look of the place did match up to the look of the menu. Her boots stuck to the floors, no doubt from constant spilling of force knows what, the chairs were wooden and rocked when you sat in them, there were cracks in the ceiling that led to opened patches where some of the plaster had come off in chunks. The place honestly looked like it was going to fall apart, but somehow still stood, holding up the weight of the rest of the building above them. It looked like it was an old, wooden, rickety attic space, housed where a basement would be. It smelled of age-old spilt liquor, mixed in with hints of smoke, wafting from the patrons who partook in that. From time to time, she did smell the wonderful aroma of food, but that was only when a waiter would come by with them.

"Right...and this is a great spot, why?"

"Because of the food, princess," Karshina said as she rolled her eyes, tired of Sabine's complaints.

Sabine, once more stopped in her tracks at hearing that word. The second reminder of the girl that night, and the second time Karshina had called her something, relevant of her past. Noticing something off, Jibba lightly kicked at Sabine's boot from under the table, waking her from her momentary trance. She looked over at Jibba, who wore the same concerned expression.

"Um...you ok, buckethead?"

Not wanting to drag her issue out, she snapped to.

"You really gotta stop calling me that. Can't you just call me Hunter?"

"Nope," the girl responded quickly.

"You really love to test me, don't you?"

"Hahaha, it's because it's so fun!" she exclaimed. "Jib used to be the same, but then he eventually caught on and stopped getting annoyed and let me do whatever. Wasn't the same after that."

"So, you're saying I just have to ignore you?"

"She'll tire of it. Then, she might actually start using your real name," Jibba added.

"So true, so true," the girl nodded.

"Really? You're admitting the way to stop all this?"

"Yep, but I doubt it'd work on you," she countered.

"Aaand why's that?"

"Because of your nature," she winked. 

Sabine stared at her, confused.

"Mando, you're way too uptight to let words just slide on by. With the exception of Grifden, you barely hold your tongue on anything that spites you."

Jibba chuckled. "She's right, you know. I don't think you have a chance."

"What? I totally can!"

"Check and mate," Karshina giggled at Sabine's suddenly defensive tone. "I love having you around Mando," she laughed, once more jabbing roughly at Sabine's arm.

The night went on with more laughing and giggling, taunts and jeers, beers and, well, more beers. The crowds started to form in the establishment, so much so, that it was getting quite uncomfortable to sit at the table, with bodies hovering all around them.

"Hey, let's go find a corner somewhere," the girl shouted over the loud voices. "If I get knocked in the head one more time, we're going to have a fight on our hands."

The other two laughed, then caved into her demand. They stumbled onto their legs, somewhat holding on to each other for balance.

"You two look like a bunch of drunks," Karshina shouted, then laughed.

"Fur ur infermashion...," the boy paused, then teetered over to the side. "Nope. Nope. Ur rite. I'm karking drunk."

Sabine laughed, as she struggled to hold her weight up, as well as Jibba's.

"Uh, mayyyybe we should head back, Shina," Sabine said. Her eyes were heavy and she was drunk, but was still more coherent than Jibba.

"Nah, he can handle it. He'll snap to eventually. We do this all the time. Come on, let's head back over there."

The two managed through the crowds and headed towards the front, near one of the other bars. They squeezed into the corner, where one barstool was miraculously untaken. They helped Jibba hop on, and when he did, he promptly dropped his head onto his arms and laid on the bar top. The girls watched and giggled, then leaned up against the adjacent wall.

"Hey, barkeep, two Kalkovak specials please," Karshina shouted over to the burly looking sentient at the bar. 

He nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"Thanks Shina, but..I really shouldn't have another one."

"You only had like two drinks, and you're still standing, you’re totally fine."

"Ha, barely," she scoffed, causing her to shift ever so slightly, that she lost control of her footing and nearly tumbled over. Luckily, Shina was well alert and caught onto her arms, preventing her from falling over completely.

"Point taken," she said, still grasping onto her shoulders. "I'm still keen on getting you a bit more wasted for the evening."

"Oh, and why's that?" she asked, regaining her balance.

"Because. I still think you're wound up and need to loosen up. Not to mention, it's the first time you've come out with us, so I think it's only fitting you drink to our level," she said with a wink.

"But," the girl continued, still somewhat holding on to Sabine, untrusting of her friend's ability to keep herself up, "Don't be a hero or anything. I can tell when someone's close to their limit. Lots of experience with that one," she said, nodding her head at the direction of her now napping brother.

"How....how do you keep doing that...," Sabine mumbled quietly.

The girl's comment once more reminded her of Pristella. Remembering the girl more times that night than she ever had over the past several months, was getting to her, and being intoxicated wasn't helping.

"Doing what Mando?"

The girl let go of Sabine as she slumped up against the wall, with her hands bracing herself. Karshina side-stepped over to the bar to grab the drinks, then made her way over back to Sabine, handing her one of the glasses.

"Cheers," she said, raising her glass to Sabine's.

Sabine took it, but looked thoroughly distraught. Her shifting mood was harder to hide in her current state.

"Hey Mando, what's up?"

"Uh, nothing. I just...I guess the beer's getting to me."

"Uh huh..." the girl said, not believing any of it.

They stood there in peace, not one uttering a single word, until a tall, slender male, of reddish skin and short, scrappy blue hair came over to them.

"Hey there, looking for a friend, miss?" he said nonchalantly to Karshina.

"Aw, you're handsome, but no, I'm not."

"Oh? Maybe, I can convince you that I'm worth your time," he said in a smooth voice, as he moved in closer to her.

Trying to keep her distance, she shifted closer and closer to Sabine, until she was practically stepping on her toes. Karshina turned to Sabine to apologize, but quickly smiled, then whispered into her ear, "Follow my lead, kay?"

She quickly threw her arm around Sabine's neck and quickly pulled her close, jostling Sabine and causing her to spill her drink and lose balance, as she fell straight into Karshina, literally head first into the girl.

"Like I said. I'm not interested in any other friend right now."

"Oh ho ho, I didn't realize. Huh. Okay then," he said as he backed away, yet looked at the two with intrigue.

"Would you two..."

Sabine, slightly irritated at this point, stopped the man mid-sentence.

"Ok, creepoid. Back off," she said, as she tried to straighten up, then laid her hands on her pistols. "Girl's not interested. Got that?"

"Whoa, whoa, okay, okay. I'm not looking for a fight with a Mandalorian. I just thought I'd ask. No hard feelings, right?" the man said, his hands up in surrender.

"Back. Off." Sabine stepped closer and pulled out one blaster, but held it at her side.

"Okay! Okay! Backing off!"

The man scurried away into the crowd. Sabine secured her blaster back into her holster, then turned back to the wall, as she had expended all the energy she could muster up.

"Well done Mando," Karshina smirked. "Who'd thought you'd be a perfect knight. My hero!" she joked, as she threw herself onto Sabine and flung her arms over the girl's shoulders. The impact knocked Sabine back up against the wall.

"Shina, what..." she asked confused and shocked at her behavior.

"Hm?" the girl sounded, as she stared at Sabine, who's eyes were darting around the floor, as if she'd lost something.

"Haha, buckethead, are you...blushing?"

"No!" Sabine said in a raised tone, shoving the girl off her.

"Oh...I touched a nerve," she said, which a mischievous smile forming on her face. "Does it bother you?" she asked, as she crept back closer and closer to Sabine until they were practically nose to nose.

Sabine's face flushed red, and her voice flustered with her words.

"Sh...Shina, stop." Sabine said as she quickly stepped to the side, tripped over her feet, then landed on Jib, causing him to grumble. She slowly pushed off of him to stand up, then turned around only to have Karshina right back up in front of her.

Quite amused, she continued, "You're embarrassingly flustered. How cute."

"No, I'm not. Drop it Shina!"

For once, Sabine's tone was serious enough for the girl to realize she had crossed a line. Unwilling to let go of the situation completely though, she compromised and just backed off a bit to give her some room.

She took a drink from her mug, then looked back over at Sabine, who now had both arms crossed around her chest and was staring at the floor.

"You ever been with someone, Mando?"

Sabine looked up at the girl.

"Why are you asking?"

"Just curious."

"It's none of your business."

"I'll take that as a yes."

Sabine just glared.

"And I'm also going to take it that it didn't end well."

"Ugh, drop it already." Sabine shook her head with exasperation.

"Hey." The girl placed her hand on Sabine's shoulder. "It's okay," she said with a bit of empathy.

Sabine looked into her eyes and saw that she was being sincere, allowing her to drop her guard slightly.

"It's okay, Mando. These things happen. You don't have to talk about it."

The girl shifted back to the wall beside Sabine and stared out into the crowd.

"Thanks," Sabine said quietly.

"You bet," she responded, then paused. "She must've been something."

"Yea, she really was. Wait. How'd you guess?"

"Hah, Mando, you don't seem like the boy-loving type. Plus, the way you reacted when I got close to you..." she said, as she chuckled. "Now I've got something else to taunt you with," she said, and winked.

* * *

Sabine found herself in an unfamiliar place. The room was dark, and a bit of panic overcame her. She quickly sat up, but misjudged her place, causing her to fall to the ground.

"Owwww."

"Hey, Mando, you alright?"

"Ugh," she said rubbing her elbow. "Shina?"

Shina got up and switched on a lamp.

"Yep, right here," she said, kneeling next to her.

Sabine looked at her, then got a better look at her surroundings.

"Where? Am I..."

"Relax hero. You're in my room. You're safe."

"In your room?!" her eyes widened. "What am I doing here?!"

The look of panic on Sabine's face made the girl smirk.

"Shhh. Calm down. Don't worry, nothing happened here," she smiled. "Could've though," she added, placing her hand on Sabine's thigh.

"Shina!"

"Ahahahaha! Too easy. Too easy!" she laughed out loud.

Sabine shook her head, then rolled over and tried to get up. "I should go."

"Nope, you're not," she said, grabbing at her wrist. "You're too drunk, it's crazy late, and I'm not about to head out in the cold to help you get home."

"I don't need your help."

"Uh huh. You've fallen off the bed and are still stumbling to get up."

Sabine paused slightly, but stubbornly hobbled over to door, before looking down at her feet and realized that her boots were missing.

"Alright, look. Get back in bed and go back to sleep. I promise I won't tease you any more tonight."

"Yea...right."

"As amusing as it might be for me, I'm am way too tired to fight you otherwise."

The girl hopped in bed and laid down, then patted the space next to her. 

"Come on, love. Come back to bed," she snickered, trying to contain from laughing.

"I knew it. I'm out of here."

"Hahahaha, okay, okay. I'm sorry. I had to do it. You just make it soooo easy. Alright, I promise. No more."

Sabine's head was throbbing. The now familiar feeling of a hangover was looming over her, and truth be told, she was exhausted. After a short while, she conceded.

"Fine."

She laid next to Shina, but faced away from her; hugging the edge of the cot they now shared. Karshina threw her arm around Sabine's waist and snuggled close.

"It's not so bad, you know. You're actually nice to cuddle with."

"Shina..." Sabine whined.

"I'm not teasing this time. It's cold and...it's nice to actually be able to share a bed with someone."

"Shina, don't even go there..."

Karshina only pulled in closer.

"Hunt, Don't worry about it, okay. I won't do anything. I won't say anything. Just...let's go to sleep, deal?"

"Did...did you actually say my name?"

"Go to sleep, hero."

At that, the room fell quiet and Karshina quickly fell asleep. Sabine laid awake for a while, partially feeling at odds with the closeness of the girl's body hugging her, but at the same time, she was comforted by the feeling of the her warmth. 

"Okay," she whispered, taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes and relaxed, shifting away from the edge, allowing her body to fall closer to her sleeping companion.


	11. Cloaks and Daggers - Part III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will see if I can post more frequently for this work. Editing for cohesiveness throughout this is causing havoc on my brain :P

Morning came. Kalkovak's notoriously bright sun had its rays leak through a small break in the curtains, and into the otherwise dark room. Sabine felt the warmth of the light on her face and groaned. Exhausted, she tried to ignore it and turned her back away from it suddenly, causing her to bump her head against her companion's.

"Owww....ugh.....what...," she mumbled groggily.

"Ermmm..," the girl grumbled, then turned towards the wall, clearly not bothered by the incident.

Sabine's eyelids flew open at hearing her.

"Kriff!"

Taken aback, she tried to sit up suddenly, tried to push up with her arms, but her right arm missed the edge of the bed, causing her entire body weight to go off-balance once more, and come falling straight onto the floor.

"Son of a....," she cursed, as she grabbed at her elbow, which took the brunt of the impact.

She got up slowly, and looked back at the girl, who continued to sleep soundly. She was slightly confused, but vaguely remembered the night before. She shook her head, and turned to find her boots and armor in the corner by the door.

"I uh...guess those came off at some point. I really need to stop drinking so much," she thought to herself.

As she got dressed, she heard someone walking outside. She finished putting on her boots, then quietly left the room.

"Oh, hey Mando. Did I wake you?"

"Uh, no. I was up."

"Ah, cool. I'm making some caf. Want some?"

"Yea, that sounds good. Thanks."

"Heh, good. You look like you could use some."

"Gee, thanks."

Sabine wandered about the small kitchen, but the glare from the sun made it hard to focus. Feeling pressure in her head, she decided to just sit at the table. She rolled her neck around a few times, trying to ease the dull pain, then placed her elbows up on the table and cupped her face in her hands.

"That good, huh? Here, drink some of this."

Jibba placed a hot, steaming mug of caf in front of her. 

"Thanks. You put sugar or anything in it?"

"Hah, no. I don't care how you take your caf. For hangovers, you drink it like this. Black."

"Whatever you say..."

She picked up the mug and blew into the steam, trying to cool it down a bit. Jibba watched her anxiously, as she took a sip.

"Whoa, what's in here?"

"Haha, wondered what your reaction would be. It's a special mixture of mine to cure hangovers."

"It tastes like you spiked it..."

"Yep! It's got a blend of a few liquors in it....plus some other stuff. Works miracles. Drink it all and I promise in an hour, you'll feel good as new."

"Do this often do you?" she asked, squinting up at him.

"You bet. I've even fooled Grifden a few times," he laughed.

"You drink too much."

"Look who's taking. I'm not the one who didn't make it home last night."

Jibba walked away and headed towards the fridge.

"Uh, yea...about that...," she started.

He pulled open the door and tried to find something in the bare fridge. With no luck, he tried the freezer.

"Oh. So...we're not fancy or anything, and looks like we just got space waffles. Hungry?"

"Yea, sure, that works."

As Jibba worked on their breakfast, Sabine continued to sip on her caf, then stared at her reflection in it.

"So...Jib, how did I get here?" she asked somewhat embarrassed.

"Well," he said, as he popped in a few waffles in the toaster. "Apparently at some point last night when Shina had went to the fresher, she came back and saw you slumped over on the barstool next to me. I had had just gotten over my much needed nap and maneuvered you over there."

Jibba went over to a cabinet to grab the syrup and two plates.

"When she reached us, she saw how wasted you were and figured it was time to go. But..."

"But?"

"We didn't know where you lived, Mando. So, we decided to take you here."

The waffles popped up and Jibba grabbed at them and tossed them onto the plate, only slightly burning his fingertips. He brought over the food and placed it in front of Sabine, then handed her the syrup, before cooking up another set for himself.

"Sorry for the trouble, Jib."

"Ah, no big deal. Happens to the best of us."

A moment of silenced passed between them.

"So, did my sister snore?" he chuckled.

"Uh...I don't think so?"

"Hah, maybe you snore too. I definitely heard snoring in your room. Could wake the dead."

Sabine remained silent.

"Anything happen?"

Confused at his question, Sabine jumped into a defensive state.

"What..do you mean?"

"Well, you guys did share a room last night. I'm assuming that meant the bed as well."

"What are you saying Jib?" she said rather annoyed. She crumpled up and tossed an empty paper cup at him that she found laying next to her.

He broke out in laughter as he ducked the attack.

"You guys are awfully loud this morning."

Karshina strode out of her room and into the kitchen area.

"Oh, hey sis. Want some waffles?"

"Sure."

Seeing Sabine, she walked over and sat down next to her. She then proceeded to comb her fingers through the girl's silver and black hair.

"Shina, what are you doing?" Sabine asked surprised.

"Oh, nothing. Just thought I'd see how you were. How'd you sleep, hero?"

Sabine arched her head away from the girl's hands.

"I slept fine. Thanks," she said quietly, before turning back to her waffles.

"Oh right! I need to know the story behind the new nickname!" they heard Jibba holler from across the room.

Karshina leaned over close to Sabine, then bear hugged her around her shoulders. 

"You can sleep with me any day," she whispered into the girl's ear, then kissed her on the cheek.

Sabine choked on her waffle, pushed away from the table, and hopped up, pounding her fist at her chest. Karshina just proceeded to laugh as Jibba walked over to them, carrying two plates of waffles.

"Uh...what happened? You ok, Mando?"

Hunching over her chair, Sabine coughed, until the food was no longer lodged in her throat. She took a big gulp of caf to wash it down.

"I'm fine, Jib," she said hoarsely.

Karshina stood up, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes. 

"Hero here just got excited after I thanked her for last night."

Sabine choked on her caf, causing her to cough up again, while the twins laughed out loud.

"I knew something happened," Jib giggled.

"NO, it did not! The hell, Shina!"

Trying to contain her laughter, she responded. "I'm sorry love, was I supposed to keep it secret?"

"Dammit Shina," she said more annoyed now than ever. She wiped her mouth, then the mess she made at the table. "It's too early for this..."

"Hahaha, you're right Mando. My fault. I'll continue after you've finished Jib's amazing recovery drink. You'll probably need another round of it."

Jibba walked over to grab her mug. 

"Here, lemme go do that," he said. Then, he leaned over to Sabine and whispered, "Tell me she's a bad kisser. I wanna have something to hold against her," he giggled.

Sabine promptly punched him on his shoulder. Hard.

"Owww!"

"Serves you right."

"Wait, so, Shina can rag on you and get away with it, and I say one thing and you beat me up for it? So not fair." He turned around and took two steps before he stopped and turned back to Sabine. "Huh."

"What, Jib? You got something else you wanna say?"

"Well, at first I thought she was kidding, but you didn't even defend yourself. Something did happen between you two, didn't it?" 

He grinned ear to ear, and tried to get away from Sabine's impending wrath, but didn't make it in time, before she kicked him hard on the ass.

"Ahahahah!" he laughed as he sprinted way, only to be followed by Sabine.

The apartment wasn't big, so there wasn't much room to run around. Sabine caught him by the collar of his shirt, and he fought hard to pull away, ducking behind his sister.

"Shina! Save me!" he continued to laugh.

Sabine stopped, being faced with the girl, who now stood between the two. She crossed her arms against her chest and gave Sabine a look, as if inviting her to try something.

"Ok, as much as I enjoy seeing Mando all worked up like this, I don't know if I'd like watching her kick your ass more."

"Awww...Shina! I'm not like you two. She'll kill me."

"You damn well know it," Sabine shouted at him.

Jib continued to laugh and use his sister as a shield. "You know what though Shina. Might totally be worth it. You're totally fun to tease, Mando."

"Alright, that's it. You're dead, punk." Sabine took one step forward and grabbed at Jibba, over Karshina's shoulder. 

The girl expertly blocked the attack, grabbing Sabine's wrist with her left hand, while grabbing the neck of Sabine's chest plate. 

"Not today, hero," she said, as she swept at Sabine's legs, knocking her to the ground, pinning her. "Sorry love, too early for violence." 

The girl winked at Sabine before standing up.

"Thanks, sis!"

She shot him a skeptical look, before applying the same move to her younger brother, knocking him down even harder.

"You're welcome," she said, before she stood up once more.

Suddenly, there was a beeping noise coming from the livingroom. 

"No, no, you two just lay there. I've got it."

The girl walked over into the other half of the room, as both Sabine and Jibba sat up.

"Truce?" he grunted, before walking over to her and reaching out a hand.

She glared at him before grabbing his hand and rolling back, off-setting the boy's balance while Sabine used her legs to carry and toss him over her head.

"Whoa...owwww," he grunted as he landed hard on his back.

"Now it's a truce."

"Hey you two, pack up, we're heading out."

Rubbing the back of his head, Jibba got up slowly. "Heading out where?"

"Back to the ship. Duty calls."

"What? But we're on break for another few weeks!"

"Hey, don't tell me. The message was from Grifden himself," she said, facing the holopad at him.

"Guess we shouldn't keep him waiting," Sabine added.

* * *

The three headed into the ship and went into the briefing room.

"Hey Commander!" Jib announced as he entered.

"Grif, you know we're on break right?" Karshina said with a slight annoyance in her voice.

"Yes, well, your break has been cut short," the Arkanian answered.

"You've been drinking," he said as he looked at the younger members of the crew.

"Yes, sir!" the girl saluted to him, then chuckled along with her brother.

"I'm not surprised."

"Come on, what do you expect? You called us in last minute. During. Our. Break." Jibba said with sarcasm.

"Don't worry commander. We're all sober. Hunter too, right?" Karshina said, throwing her arm over the girl's shoulders and shaking her a bit.

"Um. Yea."

He looked over at the three, then focused his gaze on Sabine. 

"Hunter?"

"Commander. I'm good, sir."

The man's disappointed look all but disappeared at hearing Sabine's proper response. It was her appropriate behavior and respectful nature of superiors that pleased him most.

"Now then. Our employer has found himself in an unexpected and unfortunate situation, and he requires our immediate assistance to remedy it."

"Heh, who do we get to kill this time," the Delphidian asked with a bothersome grin.

"There are multiple targets this time. A high profile set of executives who happened upon the wrong side of the boss."

"We're killing people for getting on his bad side now?" the girl remarked.

"Not quite, Karshina, but are you honestly surprised if that were the case? You, yourself have single-handedly dealt with a few of those, haven't you?"

"Hrmph. Yea, but that was before I became part of Aristan. I thought we didn't deal with petty jobs like this anymore."

"Always quick to judge, young one. These people stole very important information, critical to the boss' business."

"Well, why didn't ya say so?" Jibba remarked.

Grifden just looked over at the boy in disregard.

"Now then, let's begin."

The man began to discuss the plan of attack and who was involved. He was right. They were high profile members of the galaxy, and not only in status, but in name. There were five targets overall. Two appeared to be Imperical high ranking officers, two were wealthy businessmen, known across several trading routes, and one, was a well known Rebel associate. Sabine failed to see the connection between them all, other than they had all stolen from her boss. Her chest tightened, worried that she may have to deal with one of them...lethally.

Up to now, Sabine had avoided killing anyone. The closest was knocking someone out unconscious temporarily so that she could get her job done. Most of the time, the rest of the crew dealt with that kind of stuff, and generally with Karshina as her lookout, she never had a hand in any "messy" business.

"Now, is everything clear?" the man asked the crew.

"Crystal, commander," Sidar said with pleasure.

"Good." 

He looked them over and noticed Sabine a bit distracted. "Hunter, you have your orders, understood?"

After a bit of hesitation, she responded, "Yes, I do sir."

"Good. Jibba, you have the coordinates, get to it. Karshina, Zayrhin, get the gear together. Sidar, review any unaccounted opposition we may have to face at each of the locations. Hunter, with me."

Shortly thereafter, all that was left in the room was her and Grifden. She remained silent, and kept up her "at attention" stance. Grifden got up from behind the holo display and stood several steps away, in front of Sabine.

"At ease, soldier."

Sabine relaxed her stance, but remained silent.

"Hunter."

"Sir?"

"Is it true that you were out with those two?"

Sabine's head lowered slightly. She knew full well of the man's disapproval of the twins.

"Yes sir. I was with them all evening and until just now."

The man's face became intrigued.

"Hm. Tell me young Hunter. What is your relationship with those two?"

"Um, we're friends, sir."

"Close?"

"Um, I think so."

"You should do well to limit your 'ums,' Hunter. It lowers one's credibility."

"Sir."

"I'm quite disappointed, however. I expected you to be more...careful with who you keep company with. Being amicable with those two especially, is one thing. Having them as close companions, are another.

"Sir, may I ask a question?"

"Go ahead."

"If you don't mind me asking, if you hold the twins in such high disregard, why are you keeping them around?"

The man sighed, as he turned around, then lifted his right hand to rub at his temples.

"That, young one, is a very complicated situation."

"Are they close with the boss?"

"Suffice to say, that there's much about those two you have yet to learn."

"Sir?"

"Confidential, Hunter. Let's leave it at that."

Sabine was left with more questions now than she did before, but she respected the Arkanian and knew she had crossed a line when he promptly ended the topic of conversation.

"Hunter, I have another ask of you."

Sabine looked in the man's direction.

"This mission. It's crucial that we retrieve what was stolen, and terminate our targets. At all costs. If we fail, in even a small capacity, everything ends."

Sabine nodded.

"The reason I bring this issue to you, young Mandalorian, is because I know you have yet to actually terminate anyone."

Sabine froze.

"Yes, do not think that I haven't noticed. I know your Pantoran friend has kept you shielded from having to partake in such an act."

The man walked closer to Sabine and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I know how strong you are. I know you can handle yourself. You are a Mandalorian warrior, and you will grow up to be one of the finest. I truly believe that. Your accomplishments at such a young age, and the skills you have gained thus far, will carry you further than you realize. Change is frightening, but with each one you face, you will grow and learn from it. I trust you Hunter. If and when the time comes, and you come face-to-face with any of these people here, you must terminate them. Everything depends on it. Do you understand?"

"Taking a life...," she stumbled on her words.

"Is not an easy choice to make. Certainly the first time. But, as I had told you before, it is your destiny to do so. You will not be able to avoid it forever. You chose this profession. You chose to be a bounty hunter, and you are Mandalorian. This runs in your blood. The wars of your people...You can face this. I know you can."

"Did you? How did you..."

"Hm," he smiled. "My first time was easy. It was an act of revenge, and when that fuels your motives, a choice like that is not really a choice at all."

The man turned and headed towards the exit. She watched the slender figure leave the room, his long, white hair that was held tightly in a ponytail, hardly moved as he walked away. He moved with such grace, yet his movements had the ora of a skilled fighter. His words were strong; meaningful, and she looked up to him. Ever since she joined Aristan, he's watched over her, taught her, guided her, and she cherished it. She never thought that this man, the man she first saw as arrogant and untrustworthy, would be someone she saw more than a mentor, and more as a father figure. At that moment, her resolve became stronger. She wasn't going to let him down. She will face and make the sacrifices she needed to do, and to become the warrior she was meant to be.


	12. The End of the Line

"You really had to have us go through the air vents to get there? It's ironic that it's called that, when I feel like I can hardly breathe in this tight space."

"Shhh, Thrasher. You keep talking and you'll give away our position and this'll all be for nothing."

"Fine. How much further?"

"Almost there. A few more meters up ahead to the right."  


* * *

  
"How's it going, boys?"

"They're on the run, Chief. Strongarm took down the two suits. I'm in pursuit of one of the officers."

"Good. Strongarm?"

"Handling it."

"Good. That's four out of the five."

"Splice, Thrasher, status?"

"At the entrance, sir. We're about to break in."

"Good, keep me updated."

"Rocket. Eyes?"

"You bet, Chief. I'm keeping track of anyone coming in and out of the facility."

"Good. All of you. Find that last target. He must be found before he finds a way out of here."  


* * *

  
"Spice, hurry!"

"I'm trying. Just keep watch."

"Don't you worry. I got your back. Like always."

Sabine was picking the lock of the entrance to where the facility's main central computer was housed. Their intel guaranteed that the data they needed to retrieve was embedded and encrypted within their system's database. Security there was tight, on a technical level. The personnel, on the other hand, was easily handled by Karshina.

"There! I got it. Come on."

They rushed inside and quickly shut the door behind them. Sabine ran over and started accessing their mainframe. Using a combination of her hacking skills, insights from Grifden, the boss, plus her computerized gauntlets, she was easily able to crack their security in no time. The harder problem was finding the data and decrypting it.

"How's it going, Splice?"

"You know, if you keep talking to me, it makes things harder."

"Fine. Hurry up. We're on a time crunch before the authorities get here, and we still haven't found that other target."

"I know, Thrasher," she answered with exasperation. "I know."

The girl kept watch over Sabine, pacing back and forth between her and the door she was guarding, while Sabine kept on searching.

"Spice, status," said the Arkanian over the comlink.

"Sir, I've identified a pattern that was used to hide the data. I'm locating them now, then I'll have to decrypt and extract it."

"Very good. Four of the five targets have been eliminated. Keep on guard."

"Yes, sir."

Time continued to tick away. The moments felt like seconds and hours all at the same time. Sabine had eighty percent of the data located, and decrypted, when she heard a loud noise from behind. She quickly turned, pulling out her pistols and aimed them at the direction of the noise. She saw no one except Karshina laying on the ground.

"Thrasher! Thrasher, get up!" she called out from across the room.

Panic started to set in. She was trapped with the assailant and her bodyguard was down. She had no choice but to stop working and face her opponent.

"Surrender, Mandalorian!"

She heard the voice of a man, but couldn't see him. The room was sectioned off by racks of computer systems and panels, and it was easy to hide among them.

"Show yourself!"

"I am no fool, Mandalorian. I will keep my whereabouts hidden so that I keep at least one advantage."

"Coward! Face me!"

"Spoken like a true warrior of your kind. Look kid, I have no quarrels with you, but I do have a mission that you are preventing me from completing."

"And that makes two of us."

"You work for _him_ , don't you?"

"I don't know who you're talking about, but I do serve someone."

"He's using you kid. He's using you as a weapon to destroy people's lives. I'm trying to save them!"

"You're the rebel."

The man chuckled. "You can call me that, I guess. Listen, you need to stop what you're doing. You have no idea of the consequences of your actions if you prevent me from getting that data to my people."

"I don't care what you think, rebel. Come out now!"

"I don't have time to explain. I'm sorry, you leave me no choice."

The man pointed his blaster through a narrow opening behind some security panels and fired a shot at Sabine, knocking her down. He quickly got up and headed to the mainframe's access point. Sabine was stunned, but still was able to move, though, with some difficulty. Slowly, she struggled to reach for her blasters. Seeing her from a distance, he jumped out over to her and kicked them away from reach.

"I'm...surprised you're still conscious. That blast should've knocked you out."

"I'm tougher than you think."

"Sure does. I've never faced a Mandalorian before, but I do know how dangerous it is to face your kind one-on-one. Nevertheless, stay put. Make another move and I will stun you again, and as many times as I need to."

"Why don't you just kill me if you're so intent on stopping me?"

"Heh. We don't all like to kill if it's unnecessary. Especially kids like yourselves. Now, stay put."

The man split his attention; keeping an eye and a blaster on Sabine, while also navigating the computer. Those words somehow made a lasting impression on Sabine. _"We don't all like to kill if it's unnecessary.."_ These people, whoever he worked for, were unlike those she assumed they would be, especially when engaging in such dangerous and rebellious acts. 

Snapping to, Sabine assessed the situation and decided to stop him. She figured out how to attack the man. A scenario such as this was textbook at the academy. In a swift motion, she rolled and darted away from the aim of the man's blaster. She moved swiftly to catch him off-guard and kicked his weapon out of his hand. They faced each other in hand-to-hand combat, exchanging punches, blocking attacks, and countering the actions of one other. Eventually, Sabine got a window; an upper-hand. She managed to initiate a combination of attacks that left his neck unprotected. When she found that opening, she punched him hard in the throat, causing him to drop his guard, as he tried to breathe. She then mounted him and grabbed at the man's collarbone, hitting a sensitive pressure point that caused him to drop to the ground.

Catching her breath, she stood and took a look at him to make sure he was no longer a threat before she turned her focus back to the computer screen. In a few short minutes, Sabine had completed extracting all the information she needed. As a safety precaution, she injected a virus into the system that would destroy the entire mainframe in a matter of minutes.

"You're making a big mistake, Mandalorian," the man voice strained to say.

Sabine quickly turned around and saw that the man had regained his strength and stood up awkwardly in front of her, pointing his blaster straight at her head. Before she could do anything, the man's eyes grew wide and his weapon dropped. 

"No, you're the one who made a mistake, rebel."

Karshina had regained consciousness and had run her blade through the man's chest. He stood there helpless, as his body slowly folded to the ground.

"Please. The rebellion. Those people. They need help," the man struggled to say.

Sabine hated the Empire, she did, but she was not about to wage war against them. That, she knew, was a lost cause. She's never met a rebel before. She could never understand why someone would take that much of a risk to fight a losing battle. She knew nothing about them really. As she watched the man die, she started to feel sorry for him. He seemed like he was a good person, mixed up on the wrong side. He risked his life...for what exactly? She thought to herself.

"Splice. You got it?"

"Every last bit," she said, flashing a disk.

"Good, let's get outta here."

Sabine gathered her pistols and followed Karshina out, but not before the man grabbed at her ankle, gesturing her to hear him out, one last time.

"You...you need...help them. You're not like them. I...I can feel it. You...must...find...Do...Dodonna. Take...pocket..."

The man's grip lifted and he no longer said a word. Respectfully, Sabine shut the man's eyes, then reached into his pocket. There, she found a waded up piece of fabric.

"The authorities are here. Evacuate immediately!" shouted Grifden's voice over their comms.

"Splice! Hurry the hell up!"

Sabine quickly grabbed the fabric and made her escape with Karshina.  


* * *

  
After a rough exit from the planet's surface, Jibba had navigated them into a serene area in space, where the crew could reconvene.

"Report," the Arkanian demanded.

"Zayrhin and I took care of four of the targets, easily," Sidar grinned.

"I took care of the last one," Karshina said proudly. "Damn rebel," she added.

Sabine looked over at the girl, remembering the man's words. Noticing Sabine's stare, she shrugged her shoulders and mouthed silently, the word, "What?"

"And clearly, I got us in and out of there in one piece," her brother boasted.

The man nodded his head, then turned to the one silent member of the team.

"Hunter?"

"Uh, right. I have everything right here, sir," she said, handing him the disk.

"Job well done team. Flawless execution. I'll inform our employer immediately."

"Then can we go back to our vacation time?" whined Jibba.

"Perhaps. Let's see what the boss has to say."

Being dismissed, Sabine headed for the refresher. She pulled out the black fabric she had taken from the man's jacket. She slowly unfolded it, when she heard something clang against the floor. She bent down to try to find what it was she dropped, then saw it at the corner of her eye. She picked up what looked to be a naval pin, something of which had no real significance to Sabine. She waved the fabric, expecting something else, but didn't find anything. Opening up the small fabric altogether, she noticed the symbol of the Galactic Republic printed on it.

"So...I guess he was in the Republic Navy."

She shook her head and returned back to her room, where she swiftly packed the man's items away in her belongings. She huffed as she tossed her back to the ground.

"What am I even doing with this? It's not like I care. If I did, how would I even go about to find this...Do...Dodunna, or whatever person? This is stupid," she mumbled quietly to herself.

"Hey buckethead, how are you holding up?"

"Shina. I hate that nickname."

"You fought well earlier. You really took care of that guy."

"Thanks. I didn't realize you saw."

"I was trying to get my head together and watched you two have at it before I was able to even move without getting dizzy."

"Oh."

"Speaking of which, you could've easily killed him. Why didn't you?"

"Come on Shina, don't ask me again."

"No, seriously Hunter, you need to start getting your act together," she said with a raised voice, and poked Sabine hard in the chest.

The change of tone and use of her name caused Sabine to be on alert.

"Why are you so angry all of a sudden?"

"Because you nearly died, you idiot! All because you didn't kill him the first time you had your chance!"

"I was going to. Really. I just...bad habits, you know?" Sabine said with an innocent smile as she rubbed the back of her neck.

Immediately, Karshina slapped Sabine across the face, causing the girl to put her hand to her cheek out of reaction.

"Owww. What the hell was that for?!"

"You looked like you needed a slap back into reality," she said, before storming off without another word.

_After about an hour..._

_"All hands to the briefing room."_

Sabine made her way over, bumping into Karshina on the way. The girl glared at Sabine and continued to walk ahead. She, remained silent.

"What's the news, Grifden," Sidar said as he walked in.

"Good. In a way. I'll announce it once everyone is here."

Looking around them, they noticed Jibba missing. Grifden reached for the ship's intercom and called out once more for him. As they waited patiently, Sidar grew annoyed.

"Where the hell is that boy!" 

"Karshina, would you please fetch your brother before Sidar goes and kills him?"

She playfully saluted and left the room, leaving the rest to wait.

"Can't you just tell us now, Grifden? Those two kids aren't that important anyway. Hunter here can fill them in," he said, pointing at her direction.

"I know you're anxious, but it's best that you all hear this together."

A few moments later, Jibba entered the room, dragged by the collar of his shirt by his sister.

"About damn time," Sidar said angrily.

"My lame excuse of a brother was apparently taking a nap."

Sidar glared at him. 

"What? I was tired!"

"Tired from what? You flew a damn ship! You didn't do anything!"

"Now, now, let's settle down," said the Arkanian.

"What's the news boss," Zayrhin asked in a gruff voice.

"The boss is extremely thrilled of our success and is paying us all. Handsomely."

"Yesss!" shouted the boy.

Sidar grunted. "That's it? That's the big news?"

"Wait, do we still get our time off?" Jibba interrupted.

"In a way," the Arkanian answered. "We are contracted for two more jobs, loosely tied to the mission we just completed. After that, he's disbanding Aristan."

"What?" the Delphidian questioned in shock.

"Yes. It is unfortunate. However, it was explained that the critical nature of his business depended on the success of our last mission, and the clean-up that is involved in the next two. The impact we have made, the targets we have eliminated and have yet to handle, are going to attract a large amount of attention. He can't have authorities causing him any more trouble. The boss can no longer be associated to our team after all is done."

Sabine stepped forward.

"Sir, what does that mean for us?"

"It means that you are all free and no longer obligated to work for him, or be called on, in a moment's notice."

"Yessss," Jibba exclaimed once more.

They all glared at the boy.

"So, when do we get the details to complete these last two missions?"

"Soon, Karshina. By tomorrow, I should have information regarding the first of the two, and then, depending on how that mission goes, I'm sure to find out what we do from there. I see us finishing both in about 3 weeks time.

"Works for me," she responded.

"Any other questions?"

The room fell silent.

"Alright then. Well done, team. Dismissed."

As they all turned to leave, the man called out to Sabine, "Hunter, a moment of your time."

As the door shut, the man approached Sabine, but went towards the door instead. Opening it, he found Jibba and Karshina standing there.

"Do you two need anything?"

"Uh...just waiting for Mando," the boy responded hastily.

"Mando?"

"He means Hunter," she said, backslapping him across the head.

"Ow, what's that for?"

"For being an idiot."

The man shook his head. "We might be a moment. She'll just have to come find you both once we're done here. Will that be a problem?"

"No sir, " the girl said sarcastically, as she walked off, dragging her brother by the arm.

He then went back inside.

"Um, is there a problem sir?" Sabine asked him.

"Hunter, what did I tell you about using 'ums' in your speech?"

"Sorry, sir."

"What are your feelings around the news?"

"I...I don't know really. I'm a bit shocked, but I can understand it," she paused. "I'm a bit disappointed though. I liked working with everyone here, and I've learned a lot."

"You've grown, Hunter. Between all the missions we've completed, you've pretty much gotten a good handle of what it's like to be a true bounty hunter and what is required of you. Although," he added, "you still have much to learn." 

He looked at the girl, who looked caught in thought.

"What are you plans then?"

"I'm not exactly sure. I guess I'll continue finding employers, keep working solo, and build a name for myself."

The man nodded.

"I have a proposition, young one. This experience has given me the opportunity to see how this world of ours works, the gaps it has, as well as an opportunity to fill them. I am planning on putting a team together, and I'd like you to join me."

"It'd be an honor, sir!" she said enthusiastically, without a second thought.

"Happy to hear it, young one. I look forward to it."

"Will you be asking any of the others?"

"Perhaps. Sidar is quite talented."

Sabine looked at him intently.

"Hunter, he will be the only one that I will be asking," he said, as if he read her mind.

"Oh."

"I have a few others in mind, outside of our group, that I feel will make a formidable crew."

"I understand."

"Please keep this confidential. I don't wish to cause any friction between the others."

"Understood."

"Good. I'm very happy to have you onboard, young one."

"Thank you for having me sir."


	13. Friction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter! Sorry for the delay!

About a month passed, and the crew had finally finished their last mission together. There were multiple complications, including tracking and finding one of their targets, but everything paid off. The crew was handsomely compensated, and their boss finally was back on track with his business, with the added benefit that now most in the sector now knew never to cross him again.

"So, buckethead, what's your plans now?" Karshina asked.

"I um...guess I'll lay low for a bit, then do my own thing," Sabine answered.

"Well, Jib and I are probably going to be doing our own thing too. Maybe you could join us."

"Yea, seriously Mando. You're really awesome at hacking and tech stuff, it'd be good to have someone around to do that kind of work. We'd probably get more jobs that way too," Jibba added.

"Yea, maybe, guess we'll see."

"What, you got something better?" The Pantoran female asked sarcastically.

"Uh, no. Why would you say that?"

"Hmm..," the girl stared at Sabine. "Grifden offered to work with you didn't he?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't lie, Hunt. He may think we're just a bunch of stupid kids, but we know better."

"Pfft, makes sense too. He always favored you, and there's been lotsa times when it was just you and him talking," Jibba added.

"Yea, about that, how many times had he told you to stay away from us?" the girl questioned in jest.

Sabine was caught off-guard. The two had been correctly guessing a lot of what she and Grifden spoke of over time.

"Your silence says everything, Hunt," the girl said disappointedly.

"I mean..."

"Don't bother. It's no secret he hated us," Karshina said with resentment, as she closed her hands into a fist.

"And constantly looked down on us!" Jibba added.

"Yea, but, you know him, he's...he's..." Sabine desperately tried to find something to say to calm her friends down.

"He's full of bantha crap!" Jibba said with outrage, as he punched the durasteel walls hard, creating a dull thudding sound that echoed the hall.

Surprisingly, Jibba's demeanor suddenly changed. He was clenching his fists so hard, his knuckles were turning white. His face, reddened. His eyes burned with fury, and was gritting his teeth hard. Both girls looked over to him, surprised at the sudden burst of anger.

"Jib, your meds?" his sister asked.

"Didn't," the boy said, still facing the wall, seething of rage.

Karshina just watched him, then shook her head, acknowledging the inevitable reaction that comes with his missed dosage.

"You know, we know everything," he said, turning to Sabine. 

Fire burned in his eyes. Sabine didn't quite understand what had quickly triggered the boy, but she saw his intense hatred. She felt it.

"Everything? What everything?"

"All those secret extra jobs you were given by him for one," Karshina elaborated.

"And how much more you got when we divvied up our bounty shares," Jibba continued.

"Wait, I thought that you guys were given extra jobs too," she looked at them puzzled. "I also thought we all got paid the same. We're a team after all..."

"Are we?!" Karshina exclaimed. Her brother's intense anger started to affect her similarly.

"Hey, Shina, calm down, why are you yelling at me?"

"Because, Grifden Jr., you were so blind, following and impressing him, that you forgot about your friends."

"No, that's not true!"

"Oh? When was the last time you talked to us about these extra jobs you were given? When was the last time you stood up for us in front of Grifden?," Jibba jumped in, forcing Sabine up against the wall.

"Jib..." Sabine grunted, but he only shoved her harder. "Back up, you nerf herder! Don't push me!" she yelled out, shoving him back to let her go.

She looked at both of them, angrily.

"I don't really get why you're both acting like this, or why you're both pissed at me! Look, if Grifden has issues with you, that's all him. Besides, it seems like you guys brought that all on yourself anyway!"

"Oh look Jib. She's even starting to sound like him too," Karshina taunted.

Sabine bit her tongue, and clenched her fists.

"What is it Hunt? What makes you worship the ground he walks on?" she said, getting close to her, with barely any space separating their faces.

"Stop it Shina."

"Stop what? Telling you the truth? Telling you how we feel?"

"Why are you guys acting like this?! Look, I think Grifden is a great leader, and I'm learning a lot from him. He's smart and he knows what he's doing. I'm not ashamed of admitting that."

"He's more important to you than we are. That's it, isn't it Jr.?" the boy asked in anger.

"I don't know what you're trying to say! You guys jealous or something?"

"Tell me, buckethead. Did you EVER defend us when you spoke to him?" Karshina asked her, stepping in between Sabine and her brother.

"You know. How about you tell me what secret it is that you have between you guys and Grifden? You all seem to hate each other, but keep working together. Why?!"

"Heh, so he hasn't told you," the girl scoffed.

"Told me what?!"

"Jr., you're looking up to a dead man," she added.

"Is that a threat, Shina?" Sabine asked her squarely.

"Looks like she's chosen his side, sis."

"You two stay away from him."

"Oh, and are you going to stop us?"

"I will if I have to."

"Bantha crap," the boy said, shoving Sabine to the wall once more. "You don't have the guts to kill anyone."

"Don't tempt me."

"Hah! I'll believe it when I see it," he said, jabbing at her chest.

Sabine's frustration broke through, she grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm, then knocked away his footing, causing him to stumble to the ground. Sabine laid her weight on top of him and continued to bend his arm.

"AGGH! Get the hell off of me, you crazy Mandalorian!"

"Crazy? Yea, I'll show you crazy."

Before Sabine could do anything, she was grabbed from behind and shoved aside, Karshina kicked the girl in the stomach, then picked her up and shoved her up against the wall.

"Knock it off, Mando."

Sabine fought against her grip, but got slammed up against the wall each time. 

"Don't make me hurt you," Karshina added.

Sabine didn't care about the threat. All she knew was that she was angry. She was angry that her friends were turning on her out of nowhere. She was angry that no one was telling her the truth. She was angry that Grifden's life was threatened. She was suddenly angry at everything.

"Get off, me!" Sabine yelled, finally twisting out of the girl's hold, then grabbing the girl by the arm and flipping her over to the ground in one fell swoop. 

Jibba, punched Sabine from behind, the pain dropped her momentarily, giving the boy enough time to grab his knife. Turning around, she saw him and dodged his attack. Barely. The knife scraped across her face as she leaned away. Karshina grabbed her by the collar while she was already off-centered and knocked her down. The girl then mounted Sabine and pushed her arm against the girl's throat.

"Enough!," she yelled out.

"You tell her, sis," he said, standing over them.

"Jib, put your weapon away," she scolded.

"What?"

"Dammit Jib, did you not hear me? Put the knife away," she screamed at him.

The boy did as he was ordered, scoffed and walked away. Sabine still struggled under the girl's weight.

"Hunter," she said more calmly, yet with hints of anger still lingering in her voice, as she tried to remain in control of her bursting emotion. Her hands trembled with the rage she was desperately trying to hold back. "We're not going to do this. Not here, not now, so stop."

The girl slowly got off of the Mandalorian. As she stood up, she stared at Karshina straight in the eye.

"What is up with you?!" Sabine asked with anger in her tone, as she lightly shoved the girl back.

The girl didn't answer, instead, she stepped up again to face her and stared straight back at Sabine. Her eyes told of a deeper story, emanating anger, hidden by the girl's will. Suddenly, they heard Grifden call out to them from down the corridor.

"What is the meaning of all this?!"

He looked at the three of them there. He saw Jibba clutching his knife to his side, then saw Sabine's face, dripping of blood.

"Explain, now!"

"It's none of your business gramps," the boy answered. His voice still seething with rage.

"Jib, shut it!" His sister scolded.

"Hunter?" the man questioned, expecting an answer from her.

"It's nothing. We had a disagreement."

"That we settled with our fists," Jibba completed.

"Jib, I swear by the Force, I will make you shut up," his sister threatened.

"It looks like more than fists were involved, Jibba," he said, gesturing at his weapon; his suspicions ever growing about what the twins had done.

The boy just turned away and placed his knife back into its sleeve. Karshina cracked her neck to the side, looked at Sabine, then looked at Grifden.

"Our job's done. Our commitment to _you_ is done. Therefore, we have no obligation to follow any of your demands anymore," she said to the Arkanian with a stern voice. "However, _you_ are obligated to complete your end of the deal. You haven't forgotten, have you?" the girl asked, with the look in her eyes that threatened him.

"No, I haven't. You'll get what was promised to you. I'll send you the information. Now, I want the both of you off my ship."

"Hah, that's funny. I piloted this vessel for as long as this ship has been around. I feel like it's _my_ vessel," the boy chided.

"You forget your place boy. I am the commander here."

"Hrmph. You're no longer _my_ commander," the boy said, stepping forward to meet the man head on.

Karshina lifted her arm out in front of Jibba to stop him, then glared at him for his continual disobedience. The boy stopped and stared at her, as if saying that he wasn't going to do anything, except prove a point. The girl, tired of his antics, swiftly moved her hand to grab her brother behind the neck and squeezed at pressure points that caused him to writhe in pain. She then shot a look to Grifden.

"We'll be waiting. You better have what we want."

She then led her brother out to exit the ship. Sabine and Grifden watched them go. She wiped her face against her sleeve to stop the tingling feeling of blood that continued to drip down her face.

"Hunter, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said with an annoyed tone. She didn't want to talk about the incident further. She was still riled up from what had transpired.

"I'm sure we still have supplies in the medkit. Go get yourself cleaned up, then we can discuss what happened."

"No. I'll be fine."

"Hunter..."

Without having an outlet for her anger to go, she blew up at him. Between the twins, his secrecy and expectations of her to open up about issues she was in no mood to discuss, she couldn't help but direct her frustration at him.

"I said I'm fine! I can deal with this!"

Surprised at her attitude towards him, he too became quickly irritated.

"Those two are dangerous! If there is something I need to be concerned about, young Hunter, we will discuss it!"

"Stop calling me young! I'm fully capable of handling things! You've told me that! And you keep telling me to stay away from them, but won't tell me why. All of you with your stupid secrets and leaving me in the middle. I hate all of it!"

Sabine turned and punched the wall beside her, desperately feeling the need to do so. After a moment, she calmed down slightly.

"I need to go."

Sabine turned away from the direction of the med supplies, walked past Grifden, then headed for the exit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to work on posting another chapter for this before end of week. 
> 
> Also, shameless plug :P 
> 
> Find me on [Tumblr](dreamsescapeus.tumblr.com) for other updates and content :)


	14. Unleashed Fury

It was getting dark. Sabine had gone back to her personal hideout to try to break away from everything. She needed some time alone. She laid on a desk that had been pushed against a corner. She had fabricated it to be a makeshift bed, should she ever need it. It was a pretty rough setup that had an old greyish-black blanket, used as a covering to soften the surface, with two cotton sacks filled with old fibers as pillows. There was also a measly thin sheet that she occasionally used as a blanket. She rarely slept there though. Force knows the cold alone would have kept her awake all night, but it was a place to rest.

Laying there, she was still very much angry and frustrated. She thought she had calmed down after a few hours had passed, but the thoughts of the twins and their bi-polar attitude, kept re-igniting her fury. This fight, was unlike any of the other squabbles in the past, with the exception of their very first encounter over half a year ago. She kept thinking about it. They've never threatened to kill before, and she was pretty sure the threat against Grifden was real. They've never lifted a weapon against each other before either, with the intention of full on harm, and this time, they did. Yes, they've fought before. Physically. That was the one thing they all had in common. Between the attitudes of the twins, and Sabine's Mandalorian upbringing, it wasn't uncommon to settle arguments with your fists. In her experience, misunderstandings and solutions came faster once you got the anger and frustration out of your system.

She then thought about Grifden. She kept wondering why he was keeping his relationship with the twins secret from her. What was he hiding? Why was he hiding it...from her? She trusted him. Why couldn't he trust her?

The more she thought about things, the angrier she got. It even got to the point that she was just as frustrated as she was earlier on that day on the ship.

"Kriff! I just need to beat the crap out of something. Or blow something up real big. Or..."

Before she could finish, she heard a scuffle down below. She grabbed her helmet and peaked through the window, using her helmet's viewfinder to get a better look. She couldn't quite make out what was happening, or what was being said, but there looked to be two people, a woman and a teenage boy, being heckled by a few thugs. One of them fired his weapon at the boy's leg.

"Huh, well there's an opportunity if I ever saw one."

Without a second thought, she jumped out her window, scaled down the sides and hopped across from the building's edges, landings and neighboring structures, until she landed where she wanted to be; between the two parties. She didn't care who was right or wrong in this fight. She didn't care who was involved. She didn't care if the woman and boy were the "bad guys". All she knew was that the thugs had attacked, and they looked like they could take a beating. It was an encounter her fists called out for.

"Who the hell are you?" Shouted one of the larger males.

"A passer by," she said, as she straightened up.

"Girl, you better get outta here while you got the chance. Ain't nobody gets a second chance with us."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Please, please help us," the woman cried, as she held the boy next to her.

Sabine quickly glanced at the two, then turned back to face her would-be opponents.

"Looks like I've been invited to the party, boys."

Prior to her standing there, as she scaled off the building, she had done a quick assessment of the thugs. There weren't a lot of them. Well, by her definition. Three men stood upfront. Two others covered their rear. They all had blasters of some sort, ranging from pistols to rifles. She couldn't quite tell what species they were, but they were all heavyset, so she didn't expect quick movements from them. She knew that their attacks would be a combination of firepower and close combat, employing nothing but sheer strength.

Sabine started by darting across the open space with such swift and agile movements, that they couldn't quite hit her with as much as they fired. They also feared accidentally shooting each other, so their shots weren't much of a threat. She targetted the first man, the leader, she supposed. She kept close to him, using his body as a shield, manipulating her movements to make sure that the man followed her to the position she needed him to be in. She used a series of punches, kicks, grappling and pressure point hits to injure him. He grew quickly frustrated at the girl and kept coming at her ferociously. Unfortunately, his brute strength were no match for her speed and quick reflexes. 

The man grew weak and tired, falling to a knee and struggling to get back up to continue the fight, a fight that Sabine was happy to oblige. However, she couldn't quite hold back her need to hurt them all. She was ready for a different target, one she hoped would prove to be a better opponent. To quickly end this fight, she pulled out a blade, a small knife that she kept on her at all times, and held it in her fist, blade side parallel to her arm, knife edge pointing out. She intended to use it as a secondary blow that followed her fists.

She continued dodging and attacking the man, but this time, with each right-hand punch, her blade sliced against the flesh of her opponent, causing more injury and eventually, cutting him and injuring him enough, that after the third time he went down, he didn't get back up.

Anticipating this, she made sure that the man fell in close proximity to one of the others; the next one in line to incur her wrath. She continued this game, paying no mind to whatever attention she may have been drawing to her. Her opponents, were typical thugs and weren't intelligent enough to catch on to the pattern of her attacks. One by one they fell, untill none were left standing.

Sabine stood in the middle of the pack, catching her breath and taking in the sight of what she had done. Her anger had subsided, and she finally felt calm. She turned and saw the woman and boy, still where she had seen them last, watching her in awe and fear.

"Th...thank you," the woman stuttered. She held the boy tightly, as she trembled.

Sabine approached them slowly. "You're welcome."

"You...you killed them all. All by yourself!" the boy exclaimed with surprise and relief.

Sabine turned back towards the mass of bodies that lay on the ground.

"Unfortunately not," she answered. "They're pretty beat up for sure, but not dead. If they lay there long enough, maybe they'll bleed to death," she shrugged.

"Yea, well, whatever they are now, what you did was amazing. I've never seen anyone take out that many thugs by themselves before."

Sabine smirked under her helmet, then looked at the woman who still had fear written all over her face.

"You're fine now. No need to be afraid," she said.

The woman only nodded.

"And your leg," Sabine said, looking back at the boy. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. Not the first time I've been hit."

"Can you walk? How far is your place?"

"Far enough," the boy responded. 

"What are you doing here?"

"That's...another story," he answered.

"Okay, well, we should get you out of here regardless. If you can walk to your vehicle, you'll be alright. I should probably get out of here myself, before trouble finds me."

"No, their gang is just them. There shouldn't be anyone else to come after you," he said, as he slowly got up, using the woman as a crutch.

"There's the authorities too, like the Imps, remember?"

"Oh. Well, you should come with us then. You'll be safe until all this blows over. Besides, we totally owe you one," the boy said, as he grunted in pain while shifting his weight.

Sabine's eyes shifted from the boy to the woman. Even though they couldn't see her face, the older woman knew how to respond.

"We do owe you our lives."

Sabine stood there, debating.

"Please," the boy begged. "Standing here," he said grunting at the pain, "I know I can't make it to our ride without your help. My mother can't carry me alone."

Not wanting to leave them there as prey for any of the other thugs in the area, she decided to help them out. They carried the boy to their landspeeder, a few blocks up. She helped him into it and started to back away. The boy called out to her as she did.

"Wait. I thought you were coming with?"

"Sorry. Not my M.O. You guys should really get out of here. This area isn't really the best place to be in your condition."

"What about you, dear?" the woman finally asked, in a more calm and concerned tone.

"I'll be fine. I can clearly handle myself. Now go."

Sabine turned around and walked off. A few paces away, the vehicle pulled up next to her.

"Wait, wait. I don't even know your name," the boy shouted out.

"It's not important."

"It is. I owe you. I intend on keeping my debt to you open, in case I find you again."

Sabine let out a deep sigh. "Are you looking for a reason to die?"

"What?" the boy said in surprise.

Sabine pointed out into the shadows.

"I don't know who's over there, but they've been watching us since you got into your speeder. If you don't get outta here now, you'll find yourself targets again."

"Then in that case, we owe you a lift somewhere. We're not leaving you to be attacked."

"Like I said, I can handle myself."

"Perhaps, but please, coming from a mother, I can't just leave someone so young in a dangerous place. Whether or not you can handle it, isn't something I can live with."

With a regrettable sigh, Sabine finally accepted their offer.

"Fine, but you're dropping me off."

Sabine climbed into the back of the vehicle.

"Wait, why not just come to our..."

"Hey, do you or don't you want me in this shuttle?"

"Okay, okay. Fine, we'll do it your way," the boy reluctantly responded.

"That's all I ask."

They drove off, escaping any further incidences along the way.

"So...can I at least get your name?"

With a heavy sigh, she answered. "Just call me Hunter."

* * *

She had made them drop her off at an alleyway, about a ten minute drive from where they were. It was a secondary location that Sabine had kept, where she parked her second, stolen speeder as a backup getaway vehicle, in case she ever needed it. After they had finally left her, Sabine had gone to the only other place she knew to be safe. Home.

By this time, it was very late into the evening. It was a long day, and with her hideout being a temporary hotspot from her encounter with the thugs, and knowing how late it was, she figured that going home would be the easiest way to end the night. Much to her surprise, she was very much wrong.


	15. Awaited Reunion

Sabine dragged herself up the flights of stairs, then unlocked the door. She cracked her neck to the side, as she stepped inside the dim room, lit only by the moons. As she locked the door, a voice from behind called out to her.

"Sabine?"

She quickly turned around, startled to hear anyone at all. She still had her helmet on, so her viewfinder immediately picked up on the figure from across the room. The light flicked on.

"Sabine, it is you."

Taking a deep sigh of relief, she knew that voice. Kya.

"Kya. I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. Actually...what are you doing up, isn't it late?"

The woman stood there without a response. Sabine took off her helmet to look at the elderly woman.

"Kya?"

The woman's face wore the look of fear and panic.

"Kya!" she said alarmed, and ran towards her. "What's wrong? Is everything ok?"

The woman shut her eyes, then turned away from the girl.

"Kya?" she asked, confused.

"Sabine. Your face...your body...," the woman's voice shook.

"Hmm?."

She looked down, quickly realizing what she meant, and swiftly stepped back from her. The girl was covered with splatters of mostly dried blood. Streaks of dark red color streamed down the girl's bare arms. Her armor, down to her boots, were tainted with more of the same. Not one inch of her body was saved. Even her face bore the mark done by Jibba earlier that day.

"Oh Kya. I'm so sorry. You weren't supposed to see this...," she said somewhat panicked. 

She quickly tried to find something to cover up and wipe down with, but there was nothing within reach. Sabine felt horrible. It was the first time they had interacted with each other, and she walked into their home, looking like a gorish, nightmarish sight.

"I'll go get cleaned up. I"m so sorry!"

Sabine ran off to the refresher. She quickly got undressed, threw her gear on the floor, and rinsed herself off. She made quick work of it, knowing that Kya was waiting for her.

As she stepped out of the shower, she wiped herself down with the towel, wrapping herself up in it. She briefly took a look at the mirror to check out the wound on her face. She had left it unattended for so long, that it had formed quite a thick scab. The hardened blood made it look worse than it was, but she left it alone. Now was not the time to tend to it.

She looked over to the floor to pick up her gear. It was the first time she had seen its state. It was fully covered in dried, darkened blood, and there was much of it. She picked up the chest plate. Once displaying a pristine mixture of oranges and reds, now it was covered in large, dark red splatters.

"Kriff. I must've scared her badly."

She picked up the rest of it and walked over to her room. She threw her gear to the floor, and hid it under a tarp that she had been using for her artwork. She quickly got dressed, throwing on a pair of thin pants and a random, dark grey t-shirt. 

She hurried back out to the living area, and saw Kya sitting at the table. Stopping short, she took a deep breath, then joined her. She slid into the seat beside her and stayed quiet. The woman was deep in thought, staring at the portrait that hung above.

Eventually, Sabine mustered up the courage to break the silence.

"Kya...I'm sorry...for everything." 

She looked at the woman, then allowed her eyes to dart to the table in front of her.

Kya got up and walked away from Sabine. The girl's heart sank, worried that she had broken the last straw, causing Kya to walk away from her...again. Sabine turned away, shut her eyes and clenched her fists on her lap. She was frustrated at herself and was trying to hold it together. To her surprise, she heard the sound of a cup on the table, and turned to find Kya placing a mug in front of her.

"I thought you could use a little something to warm you up on this cold night. Just like old times," the woman smiled.

Sabine looked up at her. Her sight was blurry from the tears she was holding back, but held back no longer. It trickled down her face as she looked down at the steaming mug before her. Eventually, she wiped her face across her bare arms, calmed her emotions to an acceptable degree, then reached both her hands out to cup the mug, feeling comfort in its warmth between her hands. Suddenly, she felt another warmth, Kya's hand on her cheek.

That last, soothing action broke Sabine again, and wept, shamefully pulling away, so that she could bury her face in her t-shirt, as she pulled the bottom half of it to do so.

"My child, I'm so sorry as well," the woman moved closer, then placed her hand around the back of Sabine's head. 

"It's my fault things came to this. It was just so difficult for me to understand it all, and I...I was scared," the woman continued.

Kya watched as her child continued to cry out in front of her, causing herself to tear up. Sabine eventually calmed down, with her cries turning to silent weeping, with only sounds of sniffling and the occasional sudden gasp.

Kya stood back up and embraced the girl, holding her tightly. Between the woman's warmth and the emotional turmoil she had suffered through the day, it caused Sabine to collapse into the woman's hold, folding her arms inward, and making herself smaller as she laid into the woman's chest. For once that day, she felt comforted.

"My child, my child," the woman started. "I'm so happy to have you home."

* * *

Sabine awoke, finding herself in Kya's bed. Her eyes were sore, and her lids were heavy. Apparently she had passed out, no doubt from all the exhaustion. She couldn't quite piece together how much they had talked, if much was even said. All she knew was that she was happy. Happy to have one thing finally back to the way it should. She closed her eyes once more and nuzzled into the feeling of the woman's hand that gently held the young girl's face.

* * *

The next morning, Sabine groaned as she heard the clamoring of pots and pans. She opened her eyes slowly, then quickly shut them. As she turned to her side, she heard more noise coming from the kitchen. Again, she tried to open her eyes, but the dry air somehow stung them, so she winced and gave in, shutting them once more. She almost dozed off that time, until she heard the sizzling of food being cooked, combined shortly thereafter by the smell of delicious aromas filling the room. On her final attempt, she raised her hands to her face and dragged them down her cheeks, while rubbing at the corners of her eyes as she did so. This time she managed to keep her lids up for more than a few seconds.

She sat up, then realized she was still in Kya's bed. Slowly, everything started to come back into focus. 

"This...this isn't a dream, right?" she questioned herself.

Hearing more bustling in the kitchen, she knew that it couldn't be. The noise, the smell; she knew the older woman was up cooking. To Sabine, it felt like it had been a lifetime since that's happened. She hadn't been around to see the woman cook, nor ever had the chance to sit with her at the table. Food was usually available, but she was left to heat it and eat alone. It was something she once took for granted, and only later realized that it was something she missed. It was more than just the food itself. It was the idea of warmth. A loving place. A home. Ready to greet Kya, she slowly hopped out of bed, wincing and groaning from all the aches and pains from the fight the night before.

As she walked down the corridor, she saw the old, too familiar sight of the woman by the stove. She approached timidly, took a deep breath, then greeted her.

"Good morning, Kya," she said quietly, not wanting to disturb the woman.

"Good morning dear," she responded, as she put down the wooden spoon in her hand, then turned to Sabine.

The woman walked towards Sabine and unexpectedly placed her arms around the girl. Sabine saw the woman as elderly, though, every time she hugged or held her, she felt like the strongest person alive. She just felt...safe.

"I'm sorry if I woke you, dear. I knew I was causing a racket in here. I'm not as nimble as I used to, and a few things slipped here and there," she chuckled.

"Oh, no Kya. It's totally fine. I had to start the day at some point," she smirked.

"That is true," she said, still smiling at the girl. "Our meal isn't quite ready yet, so feel free and go finish getting ready for the day."

Sabine nodded and headed back to her room.

About a half hour later, the girl walked back in, finding Kya at the table, arranging the plates of food at their usual spots. Sabine walked over to her.

"Everything is about set, dear. Why don't you grab yourself some juice."

Sabine nodded and did so, then joined her at the table. She looked upon the assortment of food in front of her. Her plate had perfectly browned sausages, crispy bacon, fluffy eggs, buttered toast, and seasoned potato hash. Next to it, was a small bowl, full of cut up pieces of local fruit. Sabine awed at the smorgasbord placed before her. Kya, just chuckled. She too, missed this; having Sabine next to her, sharing the moment together, and seeing the girl's face light up. All done with the simplicity of a hot, home-cooked meal.

"Well, dig in child, before it gets cold."

Without a moment of hesitation, Sabine took her fork and began devouring her meal. It was a while before anyone spoke.

"I hope you had a good rest. You were so exhausted that you started snoring the minute your head hit the pillow," the woman laughed.

Swallowing her food, she stopped, eyes facing downward at her plate, trying to recall the night's events. The first memory that came through was when she opened the door, in her bloodied armor, then seeing Kya's reaction.

"I think so. I...I definitely feel more energized this morning."

Of course, she was lying. The physical and emotional drain had taken a toll on her, and she hadn't felt at all recovered from it. The sleep she did get, definitely alleviated some of the exhaustion, but she still felt down-right tired. Not to mention, her body begged for rest and painkillers. Regardless, she didn't want to tell Kya that. She didn't want her to worry.

"I'm glad to hear it," the woman responded.

Sabine took another forkful into her mouth, when Kya continued the conversation.

"Sabine...," she started. "These past few months...," she continued, struggling with her words, then paused, then let out a sigh.

Sabine finished chewing her food and laid her fork down on her plate. She knew that they were about discuss _that topic_ , and wanted to give it her full attention. Still, anxiety built up inside her over the thought. Her heart raced. She continued to look down at her plate, and brought her hands to her lap, wriggling her fingers as they were lightly clenched.

"It's been tough Sabine."

"I...I know," she answered timidly.

The woman stared at the girl, determined to put this all behind them. She believed it was all her fault, and she was ready to admit it.

"Sabine, dear, I'm sorry for everything."

Sabine's eyes shot up to look at Kya. She wasn't expecting an apology from the elderly woman. Not by the least. By her account, she felt that she was the one at fault.

"Kya, no. It's not your fault," she started. "I...I blew everything out of proportion. I was the one who took on a dangerous occupation without telling you. I was the one keeping secrets. I was the one who snapped. I was the one who left...," she said exasperated.

The girl's tone of voice roller-coastered. She started with an apologetic approach, which escalated to frustration, then anger, then back down to a solemn feeling of guilt and shame.

"Sabine..."

"No, Kya, it's all me. It's all my fault and I'm sorry!"

The woman looked at her. She saw the face of a child who was vulnerable, scared and upset. It pained her to see how this burden affected her.

"Sabine, please listen. Yes, perhaps that was how it all happened, but this rift between us, that was all because of me."

Sabine calmed down slightly, her mind filled with confusion.

"Yes, everything was blown out of proportion and you did snap and leave, but that was because of how I approached you, and how I reacted to the news. Yes, you did keep secrets and took on a dangerous occupation, but everyone keeps secrets dear, and why you did so, I'm assuming was to protect me; to prevent me from worrying about you."

The woman reached out to take a sip of caf, then continued to speak, as she wrapped her hands around her mug.

"Sabine. My past...I don't handle loss well. Every time someone I cared for, died, my heart shuts down, moreso than average. When...when my husband and daughter passed...I fell into a deep depressive state that even my closest friends and family couldn't shake me out of. At the time, I felt that I had lost my world, my whole reason for living. I couldn't move on. It took a series of medications and counseling to get me through it, and it took years while under careful watch."

The woman took another sip from her mug. Sabine noticed the woman's hands shake as she did so. Placing it back down, she continued.

"The short of it, was that I was able to survive, knowing that if I were to get past all the pain and sorrow, the one thing that I knew, was that I couldn't let it happen again. At first, I kept a good deal of distance from everyone, not allowing anyone to get too close to me. I still entertained them as friends and family, but I kept it to a minimum. Over time, people continued on with their lives, and with them being caught up in their own set of problems and struggles, it gave them less opportunity to stay connected. It became easier for me to live like that. As I aged, it became quite normal for me to be...alone."

She looked into the young girl's eyes and smiled.

"That was until I ran into you, young one. Something about you was different. It somehow felt natural for you to become a part of my life."

Kya sighed once more.

"That's why...that's why I reacted the way I did. Your change in attitude was the first thing I noticed. It worried me. With you as a young teenager, I know that behavior like that only comes across after being triggered by something major. At the time, I chalked it up to your relationship with that young lady. You never did tell me what happened between you two, but judging from your reaction, I assumed it wasn't good, but didn't pry. Perhaps I should've. If I did, maybe things could have been different."

The woman' paused for a minute, searching her mind for the right way to explain everything, and to organize her thoughts.

"After our argument, I thought about what you said, over and over. About not knowing who you were, and what I didn't understand. I had spent many days trying to understand what it was that I was missing. After a while, it became clear to me that you were right. I didn't really know you. I knew only of what you had shared with me in the brief time that we were together, and assumed the rest, but that wasn't enough to tell me who you are or what you've been through, and how your past plagued you. There was also another part I realized I knew little of. Your people's culture, as Mandalorian."

Kya took a deep breath once more. She was doing well so far. She was finally expressing her thoughts and explaining her actions, but it wasn't easy, as the emotions that were associated with those words, came flooding back, casually attempting to steer her off course.

"Sabine," she started once more. "I did some research on your people. I tried to do some research on you. I learned about the Mandalorians. Some being from historical mentions, and others, were more biased and opinionated commentary from other accounts. All of that added more depth to my knowledge. Your people faced war and battles constantly. Your culture, bred warriors and soldiers; strong men, women, and children. All of you were, for the most part, thrust into a violent world, full of conflict and politics. It almost seemed as if your people almost had no choice and knew nothing else, except that way of life, and faced it head on. I could never understand that mentality though, try as I might."

"You're much stronger than I ever was, Sabine. More than I can ever become. In so many ways. I'm assuming that your decision to become a bounty hunter, somehow stemmed from your past, and your need to do so is perhaps something I will never come to understand. However, that doesn't change the fact that I will always worry for you. Force, I even worried about you when you were a mechanic over at the CCIC," she chucked, attempting to lighten up the mood a little.

"You're growing up into a young adult, Sabine. I need to learn to accept your choices and realize that I am only here to advise you and guide you to what I know. I need to trust that you are making the best decisions that you can. I need to believe, that if you are ever in doubt, or need someone, that you would come to me, and that maybe, in some way or another, I can be someone you can come to rely on and trust."

Sabine listened intently, and clung to each of Kya's words. She was processing everything. She felt comforted to know that Kya did make the effort to try to understand her, and that the woman did accept that she only had assumed who Sabine was, taking the blame for not knowing much of her past. She was speechless.

"Kya...thank you."

"Anything for you dear," she said cupping Sabine's cheek with her hand.


	16. Deadly Secrets Revealed

The next couple of days were quiet. Things were starting to return to normal between Kya and Sabine. They spent the past few days together, enjoying each other's company as they once did. However, a "normal life," wasn't meant to last very long, not as a bounty hunter.

At some point, Sabine noticed the indicator light going off on her holopad. It was a message.

_"Hunter, it is time we spoke."_

She sighed, realizing that it was Grifden. Regaining her relationship with Kya, she started to wonder if she wanted to return to that life, at least in the near future.

_"Sure."_

Sabine wasn't thrilled, but she knew this time would come. With the way things ended before, she knew she'd have to face Grifden and possibly the twins once more.

She returned to the ship, docked where it always was when it was on Kalkovak. She met Grifden out front. Getting off her her speeder, she walked towards him, and nodded, acknowledging his prescence.

"Welcome home, Hunter," he said smugly.

Sabine had her helmet on, so her facial expressions were masked, but her actions, spoke louder. Without a response, Grifden knew to be concerned. Sabine was.

Grifden turned to enter the ship, with Sabine following close behind. They walked into the briefing room, where they held many conversations in the past.

"Hunter, talk to me."

"A strategic move. Not surprised. I wouldn't have expected much less from him," she thought.

The man never laid out his cards. He always assessed and questioned first, hoping it would give him insight as to how best proceed. Sabine knew that. It was part of _the game_. She wondered how to start off. Should she claim her withdrawal from his crew? Did she need to explain her behavior? Could she avoid that? Was he expecting her to speak of the twins? Did she have to? Her mind started to dart from topic to topic.

"Commander, sir. I respectfully withdraw myself from your crew."

A moment of silence befell them.

"Hm. I'm shocked, young one."

Sabine remained silent.

"Soldier, remove your helmet."

"Um...sir?"

"Your 'ums,' young one," he sighed. "Nevermind, we'll revisit that another time. Right now, I ask that you take your helmet off. Please."

Confused, the girl did as she was asked.

"Thank you. As a serious topic, I felt that it was only respectful for you and I to speak face-to-face, don't you?"

Sabine nodded. She realized that it was his way of gauge her sincerity to the matter.

"Now then. If this is about those twins, we needn't need to worry about them any further. Those two will no longer be part of our crew, and we can hope that our paths never cross again."

"It's not just that sir."

"Please explain."

"I'd rather not. I don't believe I currently hold the vocabulary to fully express why I've come to that decision."

"Try."

Sabine took a deep breath. She wasn't sure of what she was doing, not to mention, what to say about it. She knew she wanted to enjoy her time with Kya and live in a moment of quiet, peace, and happiness while she could. She had enough funds to carry them for a while, so there was no rush to jump back into work. However, she wasn't sure how long before her calling to become a bounty hunter would come and pull her back in. She enjoyed what she did and was getting better at it. Did she really want to withdraw from Grifden's crew? It was the only safe place she knew of where she could continue to have support and guidance after all.

"I'm sorry sir, I...I can't."

"Hm...," the man said, crossing his arms and leaning back on the edge of one of the consoles. "Hunter, are you sure about this decision?"

Sabine took a minute to respond.

"I think so, sir."

"You think so? To withdraw from this opportunity, I would hope that you would have a more definitive response.

Sabine shrugged, then looked to the ground.

"Hunter," he sighed. "If that's what you want, so be it. I cannot force you to do something you don't want to do. I need the full trust and commitment of every person on this crew. I can't have that if I force people into their positions."

Sabine nodded.

"However, I am very disappointed in you."

"Sir?"

"You're throwing away a great opportunity, and by my standards, I don't believe for one second, that it's for a very good reason."

"What right does he have to call my reasons bad?" she thought quite defensively.

"That's your prerogative, sir."

The man shook his head, very much disappointed in her decision, and slightly frustrated for her lack of commitment and seriousness to her career.

"I must ask once more. Are you certain, Hunter?"

Sabine took a deep breath, then looked at him directly in the eye. "Yes."

"Well, I guess that's settled then."

The man stood up and walked past Sabine, leaving her a bit confused by the brevity of the conversation.

"Wait? That's it?"

The man stopped, faced away from the girl.

"Indeed. Feel free to see your way off my ship," he answered, then continued to walk out of the room.

Sabine was annoyed and slightly angered. She wondered why he ended their conversation so abruptly. Why did he act like he didn't really care? Wasn't she important to him? She quickly chased after him.

"Commander Grifden!" she shouted down the corridor.

The man stopped and turned to face the young girl.

"Yes?"

Sabine realized quickly that she didn't know what to say what she was thinking.

"Was there something else, Hunter?"

She remained silent.

"Alright then. Be on your way," he said. His words were cold.

"Why don't you care?" she mumbled under her breath, but was still in earshot of the Arkanian.

The man turned once more.

"The Mandalorians consider you an adult at your age, do they not?"

She nodded.

"As an adult, I would have assumed that you had considered your decision carefully, weighing out what's important to you."

She nodded again.

"Therefore, what I think doesn't really matter does it? Nor does anyone else's, for that matter."

"But...," she started.

"But?"

"But how could you just accept it, no questions asked?"

"You may have already forgotten that I did ask you to explain yourself once. Did I not?"

Shamefully, she responded yes.

"I am not your caretaker, Hunter. I am not going to lecture you about your decisions and about what's right or wrong."

Sabine looked up at him. Somehow, those words struck her.

"Under my wing, I advised you. I acted as your mentor. Outside of that, now that you've chosen to leave, I am no longer obliged to do anything of the sort. You made your decision, young one. I can only hope you made the right one."

The man turned once more and headed back towards the cockpit, leaving Sabine to find her way out. She felt hurt. She had every intention of leaving the bounty hunting business for a while, and that's what she got. However, it unexpectedly left her upset at Grifden.

  


* * *

  


A few weeks had gone by. Sabine's life had returned back to her pre-bounty hunting days. She felt best to steer away from anything reminiscent of that experience, at least for the time being, until she was ready to start it again. She wasn't turning her back from it, she knew deep in her heart she would return to that life, but for now, she needed to take her mind off of the people that she associated it with.

Her gear had been cleaned and kept away in her closet. It hadn't been worn since that day. She hadn't once stepped foot back to her hideout since the attack, nor has she stepped foot back into the bar. Distance was key. It always had been.

She had leisurely been spending her time, focusing on other things. She was dabbling with her sketches and paints, always turning to them when she felt the need to express her feelings, or be left in thought. Kya, had also started to insist that Sabine learn to cook some of the dishes that she had grown fond of. Cooking, unfortunately, wasn't a big interest of hers, but humored it, since she got to spend time with Kya. Outside of all that, she had also started tinkering with a class-5 worker droid that a neighbor had mentioned was in disarray. In time, not only did she repair it, but added a few extra functions, that proved to be valuable to its elderly owners.

Things were quieting down. It was a welcomed relief. However, that too, didn't last long.

Sabine's holopad beeped incessantly. Walking over to it, she saw that it was a message from Karshina. Immediately, she felt sick to her stomach.

_"Hunter, we should talk. Meet us at the bar, same as always. Say around twenty-one hundred, okay?"_

The brevity of the message somehow made her feel worse. She had hoped to avoid any more interaction with those two, considering how they parted ways and the fact that they no longer worked together, but she knew better. Hoping never solved anything before. It was wasted effort, as far as she was concerned.

That evening, she met them at the bar. Walking in brought back an oddly comforting feeling. The mixed voices from the patrons, the smokey air, the dim lighting, even Hank, the bartender, with his frustrated cries of annoyance at both frequent patrons and unfamiliar denizens alike, were welcomed quirks that she grew fond of. However, it was only home to her when she lived that other life, one she wasn't quite ready to come back to, yet here she was, wearing her armor just like before.

She headed towards the back table, one that she, by now, had realized was frequented by the former Aristan crew. As expected, she saw the two Pantorans, enjoying a few drinks of their own.

"Well, look who showed up," Jibba said smugly.

"Jib, don't start," she patronized. "Hunter, thanks for coming, have a seat."

Doing as she was asked, Karshina nudged at her brother. "Jib, go get Hunter a drink,"

"No, that's alright. I'm not thirsty."

"Hrmph. Good thing too. I'm not really up for getting a drink for a traitor."

"Jib! Dammit. Shut it. Just...go over there somewhere. Let me talk to her."

Sabine eyed them as the two squabbled over whatever it was that was bothering the boy. Eventually, Jib stood up, slightly annoyed and walked off, giving Sabine nothing but a glare.

"So...he's still upset," Sabine chimed in.

"Yea, that's just how he is."

"Really? I've never known him to hold a grudge this long."

"Hunter, you don't really know us."

"You seem to be pointing that out a lot recently."

"It's because it's the truth," she said with dismay.

Sabine knew something else was up. She didn't know what, but something didn't feel right. The idea of Jibba still being upset with her, plus Karshina's odd behavior were raising red flags. The girl was attempting to be cordial towards her. The demeanor of the twins had changed. There was definitely some unspoken tension.

Sabine sighed. "Okay, what's really going on here? Why did you drag me out here if you guys are still going just be upset with me. If anything, I should be upset at you both for what happened."

A waitress came over, leaving two drinks at the table. Looking up, Karshina saw Jibba give a head nod.

"Hunter. Drink."

"No. I said I'm not interested. What I am interested in, is you telling me what the kriff is going on."

The girl looked away towards the other patrons and drank some of her beer. Sabine watched, trying to figure out what was going on. The girl's attitude had this brute confidence, mixed in with a bit of annoyance.

"Shina, please. What's going on?"

"You know what's funny? I honestly thought I could get past you being Mandalorian, and us being friends. For a while, I thought we could get past it all. You really had me for a moment. I started to even feel close to you."

"Shina, what are you talking about? We are friends. And if you'd stop bringing up the past, we could actually move on from that. What does it matter that I'm Mandalorian anyway? I'm not like those goons you two had a run in with in the past. We're not all like that."

The girl just shook her head and laughed half-heartedly.

"It's sad that it's turned out this way."

"You know what, I'm about done with all your vague comments. If you guys dragged me out here, just to rile me up, then piss off. I'm not doing this."

Sabine pushed her chair back with vigor, and stood up, but before she could go, Karshina took hold of her wrist.

"I didn't say we were done. Did I?"

"No, but I did."

Sabine jerked her arm away from the girl's grasp, and took a half step away before the girl spoke out again.

"You know, Grifden wasn't the man you thought he was," she said, as she stared at Sabine's back. "If only you didn't side with him. I...we, could've forgiven you and actually been friends."

With a frustrated sigh, Sabine abruptly turned back to face the girl.

"Would you stop already! I don't care about your deal with Grifden. You three need to deal with your crap and leave me out of it! And don't keep bringing back this whole, 'Oh, you're so like him, so we can't be friends,' bantha crap. You can't keep finding excuses to be pissed off at me, when you all keep secrets I know nothing about!"

"Fine. You want to know? I'll tell you everything."

Sabine furrowed her brow and crossed her arms in disbelief.

"Sit," she demanded. "We had news to share with you anyway."

Reluctant to do so, Sabine sat down anyway.

"Ok, spill."

The girl pushed the drink over to Sabine.

"Here, you'll want this."

Giving in, she accepted the drink.

"First, you're right. We did have secrets, the three of us, and yea, we purposefully kept anyone from learning anything. It was part of a deal we had."

"What deal?"

"Allow me to shed some color to the situation. Keep drinking. You'll need it. I sure as hell do."

"Dammit Shina, will you tell me what baggage you guys are holding already?"

"So impatient as always. Fine, have it your way."

Karshina began to explain to Sabine about the full history of the twins' past. How, when they were much younger, they lived happily, in ignorance, with their parents. Up until the age of ten, they had no clue what their father actually did for a living. The whole time, they thought that he was a cargo pilot, which, their parents had decided, would be the best explanation for his constant trips away from the family. It wasn't until the day he didn't come back.

_One afternoon, Grifden and a few of his Mandalorian friends had showed up at their door. It wasn't cause for any alarm at the time, since Grifden had been a long time friend of the family. He and their father grew up together. That day though, he came bearing news that their father had passed, due to an "unfortunate accident". Their mother was distraught, screaming at Grifden, asking him how that could've happened, since they were partners._

_Karshina and Jibba were in the next room over, quietly listening. They had no idea why their mother was upset._

_"You were supposed to keep him safe, Grifden! You told me everything was going to be fine!"_

_Their mother, on the other hand, knew that her husband was involved in a questionable trade that usually involved some sort of criminal activity, usually smuggling._

_"Mran, I told you that everything will be fine, and it is,"_

_Karshina heard clicking and buzzing sounds after that, and rushed in to find that all his men had pointed their blasters at her mother._

_"STOP! Uncle Grifden, why are you doing this?!"_

_The man shook his head in disappointment._

_"Dear Karshina, please wait in the other room. Your mother and I are discussing some important matters."_

_"No! I won't!"_

_All Karshina knew after that, was that she was being dragged out of the room by one of the Mandalorian men. He tossed her aside with her brother, who was crying and clearly upset by the commotion. She held him close to comfort him and protect him, while they sat there, unable to do much, not knowing what transpired in the other room._

_"I apologize Mran. I do, but Zjok brought this upon himself."_

_"I don't know what you're talking about," she said angrily._

_"Zjok and I...I thought we were brothers. However, little did I know how selfish he was."_

_The man sat down, and let out a heavy sigh._

_"In our last run, we were supposed to smuggle some highly sought out weapons into Lantillies. We were to be paid handsomely, due to the nature of this mission. However, long story short, Zjok and I were caught by the Empire, and we were determined to fight our way out. Or so I thought. It seemed like your dear husband had already made some deal with the Imperials, allowing him immunity. I have no idea what deal he made with them, but in the end, he turned me over to them, claiming I was an enemy to the Republic, selling goods to their counterparts. He later told me that it was all for his family._

_He stood, then faced the woman head on. "Mran, I have no idea what his real motivation was. The only thing I know, was that Zjok betrayed me, stole what was mine, and nearly left me for dead, if it wasn't for my Mandalorian friends here."_

_"So you killed him. Tell me Grifden. This 'unfortunate accident,' was no accident at all, was it?"_

_The man gave a smug smile. "Revenge, Mran. And now that he's been taken care of, I need to settle his debt to me. Give me the credits, and I'll leave you and those children alone."_

_"There are no credits here."_

_"I do not have time for these games, Mran. I do not wish to hurt anyone else."_

_"I don't believe you. Just like I don't believe your story. Zjok would never betray his friends."_

_"Ignorance, my dear. That's what keeps people in line. Whatever you believe, I honestly could care less. What I do care about, is my money."_

_"Ha. You claim victim. And what purpose do you have for the money you so desperately want? Hmm? We, NEEDED that money to keep Jibba alive. He would've died. He needed that surgery!"_

_The man turned his head in denial of her sob story, but didn't completely ignore it. Her family was close to him, and he knew of Jibba's condition. He just didn't realize how dire of a situation it was._

_"Zjok never mentioned anything. That bastard."_

_"Well, now you know."_

_"Indeed, but that doesn't make things right. What he had done, what he had taken away from me...Do you have any idea how they treat prisoners of the Republic, Mran? Do you know how they treat rebel empathizers?" No, I think not._

_"What more do you want? You took my husband's life..," she cried out, grasping the notion of his death._

_"Credits, Mran. That's all I ask. You may not realize it, but you and Zjok are not the only ones dealing with a financial burden," he said somewhat sympathetically."_

_"Be that as it may," she gasped, "you will find nothing here."_

_The man grew frustrated. "Very well, then I propose an alternate solution. One that you will have to comply with."_

_The woman anxiously listened, fearing she had no other alternative._

_"The children will be under my custody, working off their father's debt until it is fully paid. If you wish to expedite it, then you too shall send me payments until your combined efforts return what I am owed."_

_"Grifden! No! I will not let you take them! They're only children! They're not meant to live your lifestyle!"_

_"Don't play innocent. You both are just as involved in this. Don't you think those children won't grow up learning the same trade? I know for a fact that Zjok has been training them. Maybe not necessarily for this, but Jibba will be a good pilot some day, and Karshina, hrmph, she'll be a force to be reckoned with."_

_"You think so. Just you wait until they learn of what you've done."_

_"And they will never know. Understood? If you say anything, what happens to them will be on your hands."_

_At that, the woman surrendered. She felt trapped with no other option._

_"Will they be safe with you?"_

_"As I have an interest in them, yes. I will make sure they are protected to the best of my abilities."_

_"I hope I can believe that. And what story will you come up with? Karshina already saw you and these men holding weapons against me. She's bright. Maybe you forget."_

_"Indeed she is. I will just explain that it is a misunderstanding, that there were...circumstances that had forced me to act the way I did, but that you and I had sorted it out."_

_"And you think she'll believe that?"_

_"Time will tell, but I do require that you do your part to convince her as well. You will also tell her that her and her brother will stay with me, and work with me in order to try to find their father. I'm sure they are not aware of his untimely death, and this will motivate them to work hard."_

_The woman was disgusted by the idea, and her reaction was clear to him._

_"I don't take pleasure in involving children, Mran, but this is the only viable option I can come up with. See to it that you keep up with your end of the bargain. These men will be watching you, so any indication that you will run, or turn these children against me, will be known, and if that happens, what remains of your family, will be met with force._

_"You're a heartless monster."_

_"You were once family to me."_

_Everything then went according to Grifdent's plan, with the twins none the wiser._

"Wait, back up. So you knew Grifden as kids?"

"Is that all you picked up on, Mando?"

Sabine shook her head. "So, he had goons hold your mother at gunpoint, and you don't know why, and you've been working for him?"

"Supposedly it was all a misunderstanding. That's what they both claimed."

"And you believed that?"

"We both did. Our mom told us that we had to save our family at all costs. When they said that dad was kidnapped and had to help Unc...Grifden, we both jumped up to help."

"But...none of that makes sense."

"Got that right. But as kids, what did we know? We just wanted our dad back."

"So...you worked for Grifden...still doesn't make sense. With the jobs we do, I'm guessing they were similar back then too. How did that line up with finding your father?"

"Grifden's good, and we were kids. Guess he thought we'd be stupid enough to not catch on forever."

Sabine just sat there, perplexed.

"Look, Grifden's smart. I hate to say it, but he's really good at what he does. He made sure that Jib and I were kept in the dark. Our 'missions' were covered up to look like we were actually doing something...getting closer to finding out who held him captive."

"He's a genius. I know...but...something must've told you that he was lying...," Sabine kept mulling over how Grifden was able to convince the twins otherwise.

Suddenly, Karshina grabbed Sabine by the collar. "If you're hinting at the idea that we must've been real dumb to not catch on, Mando, you've got another thing coming."

"No," she grunted, trying to pull away. "I'm not hinting at anything...I'm just..."

"Confused? Because you're such a genius yourself that you would've picked up on it?" the girl suggested in an irritated tone.

"No. I'm not. Forget it. I'm sorry I said anything."

Sabine had her hands raised slightly, surrendering. She knew it was not worth causing a scene. The idea just kept bothering her. Karshina let go of Sabine, and backed off.

"So...I guess you eventually found out?"

"After about two years of no luck, yea. I started questioning him, but he kept telling the same old story of how illusive his captors were, and that everything we've done had gotten them closer, but no one was spilling the beans. That's when I started to investigate on my own."

"Did Sidar and Zayrhin know?"

"No, they weren't part of the crew yet. There were other bounty hunters....they died much later."

"All of them?"

"Part of the job right?"

Sabine shrugged.

"Anyway, long story short, I got enough info to know that we weren't doing a damn thing to help our dad. Jib and I went to confront him about it."

"How long had it been?"

"Maybe a little over a year."

"So you continued to work for Grifden for three years? Still?"

"Yea."

"Why?"

"If you'd stop interrupting me, I'd be able to finish my damn story."

Sabine sat back and kept quiet.

"When we talked to him, he told us that he was impressed that we found out that he'd been lying. He asked what we knew, and he told us that our father was dead. He told us that we have been working to settle our dad's debt. Jib about lost it and threatened Grifden with that knife of his, but we were no match for him. He told us that there was an agreement we had to settle with, or else our mom would no longer be safe."

The girl took a big gulp out of her glass before continuing. Remembering this stuff had always gotten to her, and her blood began to boil.

"That damn Arkanian was blackmailing us. He said he knew where our mom was being held. Supposedly she no longer lived at home, and was on another planet and that there were eyes on her at all times. He said that we had to continue working off the debt, or she'd die. He said if we kept with the deal and paid it off, he'd let her go and tell us where she was."

The girl paused and held her glass tightly in her hand. Sabine could see the anger burn through her, but she was holding back.

"I have no words to describe how much I hate that man. I still don't. He was family. FAMILY!" she said, slamming her glass onto the table, which surprisingly didn't break, but caused a few surrounding patrons to stare in their direction. Jib nearly jumped up and came over, but Karshina just put her hand up, gesturing for him to stay and that she was fine.

Sabine kept trying to process everything that the girl told her. It didn't seem like him to do that. Even to the twins. The man she knew seemed more...more honorable than that. He didn't think he would stoop down to do such a thing.

"You still can't believe that I'm telling you the truth, can you, Jr.?"

The Mandalorian just kept quiet. Her brows furrowed in thought.

"He's a manipulating bastard. He's even convinced you that he was on your side. I'm sure you would've found out eventually that he was using you for his best interest as well."

Sabine thought about the man's latest reaction of when she said that she wasn't going to continue to be part of his crew, and how it felt like he practically threw her aside for it. 

"Drink up Mando."

Sabine looked up to see Karshina drinking another glass. Apparently, she was so lost in thought that she hadn't realized someone had come over with another drink for them.

"So, now you know the story."

"I'm sure he had his reasons. Maybe....I dunno...it just doesn't seem to make sense."

"Wow, he's really got you brainwashed. He really was that good."

"No..," she said quietly, "I'm just in shock. So, did you ever find out where your mother was being held? Have you seen her?"

"Oh, he told us alright."

The girl sat up and leaned over the table, staring at Sabine.

"The story gets so much more interesting from here on in love, drink up," she said sadistically, as she gently caressed Sabine's cheek, then used her hand to push Sabine's head back abruptly.

"The hell was that for?"

"Heh. Do you know what we found out when we got to that desert of a planet, Mando? We found out that our mom had died about a year prior, under the abuse and torment of the men in charge of watching over her. Grifden's men. Your people. Karking Mandalorians."

"I'm sorry..."

"No! You shut your mouth. It is honestly taking everything I've got to contain my anger and not beat the living crap out of you."

"What for?"

"Because I....we, hate your kind. Seeing you wear that armor just...makes me want to kill you."

"Shina...you can't just go out on a hate campaign against all Mandalorians. They were a few men...they don't represent our entire race."

"Until we feel otherwise Mando, that's exactly how we see you. All of you. Enemies. The _ONLY_ reason you're not dead yet, is because I am holding on to the slight idea that we were actually friends at some point."

"Shina, we can still be friends and move past all this. We can go to Grifden and find out the truth. We can even..."

"Hunter, stop!" the girl raged, as she slammed down her glass once more. "There is no we!" she said as she gestured to them both. "For one, after seeing how dedicated you were to Grifden, that alone made me sick. And two..., heh, well. You won't be hearing anything from Grifden anymore."

The girl slowly leaned back in her chair, wearing a sly grin.

"Wait. What do you mean? What did you do?"

Sabine started panicking at the thought of what the twins may have done. "Answer me, dammit! What did you do?!"

"We silenced our pain, Hunt. Most of the credit goes to Jib though. He'd be waiting so very long for the opportunity to let his anger out. He'd actually done so well. I'm proud of him really."

Sabine interpreted that to mean the worse. All of a sudden a slew of emotions rose up. Anger, sadness, regret, all of it. She suddenly reached over and grabbed Karshina by the throat. The girl let out a strained laugh, seeing the pain and anger rise out of the Mandalorian.

"Hah....yes, Mando. You feel that don't you.....that's how we felt for years....," she said, grasping at her wrists to pull her away, but still smiled under the pressure.

Jibba, saw what was happening. He rushed over to aid his sister, and forcibly pulled Sabine away. His surprise intervention caught her off-guard and she immediately lost her balance, falling over one of the chairs.

"Back. Off. Mando," he said with restrain.

Sabine immediately got up and stood up against Jibba. She wanted to tell him off, but instead, her emotions were getting the best of her, and she just wanted to let her fists do the talking.

"HEY! You kids better step out of my cantina before I call the authorities! You got problems? Take'em outside," Hank shouted.

"No problem," Karshina said, as she cracked her neck and straightened up. "We'll take it outside."

Jibba grabbed Sabine by the arm, but she eluded his grip and shoved him aside.

"I don't need your help walking, murderer."

"Then move, Jr. I can't wait to settle this."

  


* * *

  


The three had walked outside, and stepping into the adjacent alley, where they were somewhat hidden from any passerby.

"So, I take it that you've been filled in," Jibba smirked, as he clasped his fist in his hand.

"Mostly," his sister responded. "I hadn't finished off with the best surprise."

They both shared a laugh.

"What's so karking funny?"

"Oh, Hunt," the boy said, walking over to her. "She said she hadn't told you yet. How I have been dying to kill you."

"Yea? Seemed like you've made that intention clear the first time."

"That's not even the half of it," the girl laughed.

"We were never friends, Hunter," he said with a devilish look.

Sabine stood firm and alert, and shrugged the idea aside. She already knew that she was about fed up with these two, so she didn't even think twice about his comment.

"Do you realize how much more sedatives I had to be put on when I had to deal with you?"

"What are you babbling about?" Sabine asked.

Karshina stepped in momentarily to separate the two and stood face-to-face with Sabine. She could practically feel the girl's warm breath on her face, on that cool night.

"Hunt," the girl started, once more cupping Sabine's cheek. "Jibba was kept very well medicated to keep his anger at bay, and it allowed him to remain in control as he pretended to be your friend this whole time. What you don't know is that with all the traumatic experiences he's been through, it damaged his ability to reason with others when he's frustrated. He's always been on medications, but his dosage nearly doubled in order for him to be 'normal' with you."

Sabine jerked back. "This whole time...You were lying to me?" she said, looking at the boy, who was now laughing at her.

The boy didn't seem like the same person that she had known for months. That playful, amicable and joking demeanor of his had been replaced by one full of anger and hatred. She saw it in his eyes, and the way he carried himself. He seemed more brash and uncaring, almost monster-like, born from the rage he kept hidden for so long. Meds. That's all it was. It was no wonder then that his bipolar attitude came through from time to time. His dosages must've fluctuated.

"And you?" she said angrily, staring at the girl.

"I tried Hunt. I really did. I was truly honest with you when I told you I thought I almost felt close to you. But then, after everything and after numerous talks with Jib...I no longer felt that way. I wanted you to hurt so much. Just as much as Jib did."

Sabine stepped back, realizing that everything she knew about the twins was a lie. Grifden was a lie. Everyone...Her mind spiralled out of control, thinking about everyone and everything that's transpired, and now seeing everyone in a different light. Her emotions were forcing her to lose control. 

"Why?" Sabine asked...holding back her anger.

"Aw, look sis. I think we made her cry," he taunted.

"Honestly Mando, it was a game so we can get close to you, and eventually steal your credits," the girl laughed.

"You what?!"

"You're not the only hacker on this planet. We've recruited our own Splice. While you were out with us just now, your credits went flying halfway across the galaxy," the boy chuckled. "Pretending we were all friends, made it so much easier for us to get everything we needed to get to your accounts," he said, still laughing.

Sabine held back no longer, and just like before, her fury was unleashed through violence. This time, she didn't hold back. They weren't friends after all.

The three brawled in the alleyway, exchanging punches and blows. Sabine was on high alert. Her anger allowed her to focus on her enemies, and her enemies alone. Normally, the twins would have had the advantage, outnumbering her and taking control of the fight. However, something snapped in Sabine that night, her strength had felt like it had doubled, and her street fighting tactics were effective and absolute. She, had taken control, eventually incapacitating them both.

Sabine huffed, as she tried to catch her breath. She stood hunched over the boy, who laid lifeless on the ground beneath her. She slowly unlatched her pistol from its holster, and aimed it at his head.

"Hunter! Stop!"

Sabine looked over at the far right, where Karshina was struggling to stand.

"Don't do it. Please."

"Oh, and now you're begging me for forgiveness? After all this?! You've always pushed me to kill. Well, maybe this is where I start. Poetic isn't it?"

"No...Hunter...please. He's the only family I have left," she said with distraught.

Those words pierced through Sabine, shaking her of her resolve. She scoffed. "You....you are really something."

Sabine slowly hobbled over to the girl, squatting down next to her, and instead, pointed the barrel of her pistol under the girl's chin.

"You're the manipulative one. You've always found a way to get me to listen to you. Maybe you're the better choice."

The girl remained quiet, frantically thinking of what to say to avoid being killed.

"You do realize that if you kill me, there's nothing stopping Jib from going after you and everyone you care for."

Sabine chuckled. "Really? You're threatening me? I don't think you've fully grasped onto who has the upper hand here," she said, shoving the pistol harder against the girl as a reminder.

"Okay, dammit. Just....just hold on. Look, we don't have to go this far. Just let us go."

"Now you want mercy. You're unbelievable. I'm done here. I'm going to prove to you both that I can finish what I've started. Ironically, you both will share the fate of being my first kill."

"Hunter, please!"

"Shina, begging is so unbecoming of you."

"Yes! I'm begging, okay! You said it once yourself, about how serious it was to take someone's life. I'm asking you to play that card, one more time. Please. If you do, I promise we will back off. Force help us, you won't ever hear from us again."

"You know. I'd really love to believe that, but how am I supposed to trust you. The minute you both are back in health, I'm pretty sure you'll come after me with all you've got. I can't risk that. I'm not doing this anymore. I'm tired of everyone's bantha crap!"

"Gedet'ye," she pleaded.

"What...what did you just say?"

"Gedet'ye"

Sabine backed off slightly. "Where did you learn that?"

"You'd kill me if I told you," she remarked, slightly relieved to have gotten Sabine's attention.

"After how much you talked down about my people, you have NO right to say anything in our tongue."

"You're right. I apologize. I just had to get your attention. Truce? Please."

Once more, the girl miraculously was able to shake Sabine back to her senses and cast doubt on her own will to end them.

"If I let you both live. Do I have your word to leave this planet for good?"

"Easy. There's nothing better we'd like than to leave this forsaken place. It's nothing but horrid memories of Aristan."

"Do I have your word?" Sabine demanded once more.

"Warrior's honor."

"I karking hate you both. I never want to see or hear from you again. The next time, I won't be so generous."

The girl nodded. Sabine glanced over to Jib, and saw that he hadn't moved a muscle throughout their interaction. He continued to remain unconscious.

"The credits. I want them back. All of them."

Reluctantly, the girl agreed.

  


* * *

  


Sabine was riding her speeder back home, her mind processing everything that had happened. Everything about it bothered her. The numerous accounts of betrayal, the hidden motivations that everyone had, forged relationships based on lies and selfishness, the twins, their intense hatred, Grifden....

On the thought of his name, Sabine quickly stopped in her tracks. She thought about the Arkanian. Yes, she was upset at him, but something still pulled at her to go to him, regardless of what she may find. With that, she spun around and headed straight for his ship.

She approached quietly. It was too late. It looked like the authorities had caught wind of what had transpired. Local law enforcement, along with a few Imperial soldiers surrounded the ship. The bright, blue and red lights reflected throughout the area, with several police cruisers blocking around it. She watched as they processed the site. 

As she observed them, her mind continued to churn. There was still so much information she had to process. Her emotions hadn't yet fully caught on to the severity of all that had transpired. As her current focus was on Grifden, he became the center of her thoughts. She wondered about Karshina's story. Was it all true? Was it misconstrued? Was Grifden really that cold-hearted? Did he really manipulate all of them? Including her? There were too many questions. Too much she didn't know, and now, she may never know. 

Sabine's throat tightened and her heart fell at the sight of a medical droid guiding a grav-stretcher down the ramp of the ship. The hovering device was draped in a dark cloth. The shape formed by the stretches fabric clearly outlined a body. The rest of it hung down, close to the ground, flowing with every movement. She knew it was him. It had to be. Dropping her head at the sight, she felt only one thing. Remorse.

  


* * *

  


The days following left Sabine emotionally drained and depressed. If she wasn't tucked under her blanket sleeping, she was just holed up in her room, refusing to interact with anything and anyone. She barely ate. 

Kya grew worried. She knew that something traumatic had happened, but the girl refused to say a word. Her depressive state was worse than that of her falling out with Pristella, that much, she knew, and nothing she did helped the girl.

Sabine's eyes squinted at her holopad, reading article after article about the incident. Every news briefing spoke of Grifden's illicit dealings, and known reputation amongst others in the same industry, but there was little of value. It seemed that the man, if he had any secrets, kept them well, and covered his tracks expertly. There wasn't even any mention of Aristan, her boss, or any other known associates, including herself. That part she was thankful for. She definitely was never looking for any attention, especially now.

Her emotions had finally caught up with her. Her mind had stopped wondering, and her heart had taken over. A collection of feelings were felt, with each one taking its toll on her mental well-being. Over the course of a few days, it had gotten worse. Perhaps it was a subconscious response, trying to protect its host, but her mind had grown dark, her heart had stopped feeling. Maybe it was because she was young, and her inexperience was her weakness, or maybe it was the constant lack of nurturing relationships that cause her to become this way. Regardless, she had shut down.

She spent those days falling deeper and deeper into a depressive state. She often wondered why, despite her success, accomplishments, and everything she had to offer the world, had life continued to slap her in the face with rejection and betrayal. Could she honestly trust no one? Does everyone have a hidden agenda? Did even the woman she dared to consider a mother be just like everyone else?

Sabine wasn't sure anymore. She felt...alone. She even refused any interaction with Kya. The woman's incessant interruption to check-in on her, or pull her out of her state became an annoyance. Most times, she found solace back at her hideout and didn't return for days. Emotional ties with anyone, whoever was left, wasn't what she wanted right now. If she were to come out of this alive, she had to heal, and her solution was to isolate herself until she was ready.


End file.
